This collection is comprised of series of old photographs and historical photographs of the Ottoman Empire during the reign of one of its last sultans, Abdul-Hamid II. There are a total of 1,819 Middle-East photographs that date from about 1880 to 1893. The historical photographs focus on key features of the Ottoman Empire, featuring images of educational facilities and students; well-equipped army and navy personnel and facilities; technologically advanced lifesaving and fire fighting brigades; factories; mines; harbors; hospitals; and government buildings. The collection includes photographs of locations now in modern day Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon and Greece.