''Levant Herald'' was a bilingual newspaper which existed in the period 1856–1914 in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

. It was founded by British subjects of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. The paper had English and French language editions. Published more than fifty years it was one of the long-lived publications in the Empire. However, it was banned from time to time during its lifetime.

History and profile

''Levant Herald'' was started in 1856. Its founder was

James Carlile McCoan James Carlile McCoan (14 July 1829 – 13 January 1904) was an Irish Home Rule League, Liberal and independent politician, author and journalist. Early education and career McCoan was educated at The Royal School in Dungannon in the south-east ...

who also edited it. The paper was temporarily closed down in the period between 29 May and 24 July 1878. The weekly edition of the paper was ''Constantinople Messenger'' which was first published on 24 July 1878. ''Constantinople Messenger'' was an eight-page publication which was published on Wednesdays. From 1890 to its closure in 1914 the paper was published under the title ''The Levant Herald and Eastern Express''. Edgar Whitaker was one of the editors of the paper which covered all significant events of the period, including Ottoman-Russian relations, the Bulgarian issue, tensions in the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

and the Russo-Ottoman War. It was one of the supporters of Ottoman Sultan Murad V. The paper also played a role in the formation of the opposition against Abdulhamit, another Ottoman ruler. Mark Twain's ''

The Innocents Abroad ''The Innocents Abroad, or The New Pilgrims' Progress'' is a travel book by American author Mark Twain. Published in 1869, it humorously chronicles what Twain called his "Great Pleasure Excursion" on board the chartered vessel ''Quaker City'' ( ...

'' includes references to ''Levant Herald'' in Chapter 34. In the book it is stated that due to its frequent reports about the rebels in

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

the paper was often censored by the Ottoman authorities in the late 1860s. ''Levant Herald'' sold 5,200 copies in 1907. It ceased publication in 1914.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Levant Herald 1856 establishments in the Ottoman Empire 1914 disestablishments in the Ottoman Empire Bilingual newspapers Daily newspapers published in Turkey Defunct newspapers published in the Ottoman Empire English-language newspapers French-language newspapers Newspapers published in Istanbul Newspapers established in 1856 Publications disestablished in 1914 Weekly newspapers published in Turkey