Memoirs Of An Ottoman Prince

H.I.H. Prince Ali Vâsıb (known in Turkish as ‘Ali Vâsıb Efendi’ – or, using his Turkishsurname, as ‘Ali Vâsıb Osmanoğlu’) wasborn in the Çırağan Palace, on theshores of theBosphorus in İstanbul, in 1903. His memoirsdealwiththe life andtimes of theOttomanImperialfamilyduringthelastyears of theOttomanSultanate, as well as with his life during his enforcedexile in Hungary, France andEgypt. While in İstanbul he witnessedthe First World War, theabolition of theSultanate in 1923 andthenthat of theCaliphate in 1924, at which time he wasexiledalongwiththe rest of theImperialfamily. He wasfinallyallowedtoreturnto his homeland in 1974, afterhalf a century in exile. Ali Vâsıb Efendi is theonlyOttomanImperialPrincetohavewritten his memoirs, andtheygive a uniqueinsightintothepeopleandpolitics of his day.
• H.I.H. Prince Ali Vâsıb, thegreat-grandson of Sultan Murad V, was at varioustimes in the presence of thelastfourOttomanSultans as well as thelastCaliph.
• He personallyknewtheleadingfigures of the time – such as Enver Pasha.
• He was a witnesstokeyevents in Ottomanhistoryduringthelastdays of theEmpire.
• He livedthroughtheoccupation of İstanbul bytheAllies – theOttomancourt’s mostdifficultperiod – andthentheexile of the OttomanDynasty in 1924.
• From 1925 to 1935 he lived on theCôted’Azur, wheremany members of deposedEuropeanroyalfamilies had congregated.
• Later on, whilstliving in Egypt, he experienced a secondtrauma withtheoverthrow of theEgyptianmonarchy.