Sultan Mehmed V Reşad, 10 Paras

Turkey · 1914 · 10 Paras

This definitive stamp features a portrait of Sultan Mehmed V Reşad, the 35th Ottoman Sultan, who reigned from 1909 to 1918. The design is framed by ornate Islamic architectural elements and includes the Toughra, the Sultan's official calligraphic monogram, at the top. The denomination of 10 Paras is indicated in both Ottoman Turkish script and Western numerals.

Issued at the beginning of World War I, this stamp was part of a series used for postage throughout the Ottoman Empire during a period of immense political and military turmoil that would lead to its eventual dissolution.