The Sancak-ı Şerif () is the alleged original

standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object ...

of the Islamic prophet

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

. It is kept along with other

relics of Muhammad A series of objects are venerated in Islam because of associations with Prophet Muhammad. Islam has had a long history of relic veneration, especially of veneration of relics attributed to the Islamic prophet Prophet Muhammad.Goldziher, I. and ...

, in the treasury of the

Topkapı Palace The Topkapı Palace (; ), or the Seraglio, is a large museum and library in the east of the Fatih List of districts of Istanbul, district of Istanbul in Turkey. From the 1460s to the completion of Dolmabahçe Palace in 1856, it served as the ad ...

, in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. According to legend, the flag was used in the first Muslim wars; then passed into the hands of the Umayyads and

Abbasids The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes i ...

; and finally, with

Selim I Selim I (; ; 10 October 1470 – 22 September 1520), known as Selim the Grim or Selim the Resolute (), was the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. Despite lasting only eight years, his reign is ...

's conquest of

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

in 1517, fell into Ottoman hands. The Ottomans carried the flag into battle, beginning with their Hungarian campaign circa 1521. According to Ottoman historian

Silahdar Findiklili Mehmed Agha * Silahtar (Disambiguation) Silahdar Fındıklılı Mehmed Ağa (7 December 1658– 1726–27 ) was an Ottoman historian, serving under sultans Mehmed IV, Suleiman II, Ahmed II, Mustafa II and Ahmed III. Early life Silahdar Fındıklılı M ...

(d. 1727), the flag was made of black wool. It was believed that if the Ottoman state, or

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

generally, were threatened with extreme danger, the flag should be taken into the field by the Ottoman

sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

personally, whereupon every Muslim capable of taking arms must rally under the flag.

References

{{cite book , author=Jane Hathaway , title=A Tale of Two Factions: Myth, Memory, and Identity in Ottoman Egypt and Yemen , publisher=State University of New York Press , year=2003 , pages=97–98 Obsolete national flags Islamic religious objects Possessions of Muhammad Relics Religious flags Topkapı Palace

See also

References