Exiled Friends and Strange Fears
A City of Fallen Favorites
When Fuad Pasha arrived in Damascus as an exile, he discovered he was not alone in his misfortune. The ancient city had become a gathering place for several of the Sultan’s former favorites who had fallen from grace. These men, who had once enjoyed power and influence in the Ottoman court, now found themselves banished to this distant province The Author Who Exposed the Sultan.
All of these exiled officials shared a common hope. They believed that someday their Sultan would become less influenced by his network of hired spies and secret police. They dreamed of a time when he would once again trust his loyal friends and longtime supporters instead of believing every whispered accusation from his detective department.
These former courtiers spent their days in Damascus discussing their shared fate. They wondered how men who had served the empire faithfully for years could be cast aside so easily. Each had his own story of how false accusations and manufactured evidence had led to his downfall. Yet despite their bitter experiences, most still held onto hope that they might one day return to favor.
The Problem of Permanent Distrust
However, there was a fundamental problem that made their hopes seem unlikely to come true. The Sultan’s distrust was not just a temporary condition caused by bad advisers – it had become part of his very nature. Once his suspicions were aroused against someone, his thinking became twisted and distorted. Facts no longer mattered, and logic could not reach him.
This meant that once the Sultan lost confidence in someone, it was almost impossible to win it back. Even clear evidence of innocence or years of faithful service could not overcome his paranoid fears. He would always wonder if the person was just pretending to be loyal while secretly plotting against him.
This character flaw was causing serious damage to the Ottoman Empire. The Sultan was pushing away some of his most valuable supporters – exactly the people he needed most to help govern his vast territories. Skilled administrators, brave generals, and wise counselors were being replaced by yes-men and informants who told the Sultan only what he wanted to hear Ephesus Tours Guide.
A Strange Incident at the Sacred Mosque
The Sultan’s paranoia showed itself in many odd ways. One particularly strange incident occurred in 1901 when he made a religious pilgrimage to worship at an important mosque. This mosque, located at Seraglio Point, held one of Islam’s most sacred relics – the holy mantle that had belonged to the Prophet Muhammad himself.
The Sultan’s visit to this mosque was meant to be a routine religious ceremony. He was transported by ship to the regular dock, where a carriage waited to take him to the old palace where the mosque was located. Everything had been carefully planned and prepared according to the usual protocols for such visits.
However, as the Sultan’s procession began moving toward the mosque, something unexpected happened. The Sultan noticed that telegraph wires had been stretched across the driveway. These wires ran along the same path as a nearby railroad line, probably installed for railway communication purposes.
Fear of the Unknown
When the Sultan saw these telegraph wires hanging above the road, he absolutely refused to pass under them. He stopped his entire procession and would not move forward. Nobody in his entourage knew what was going through his mind or what he thought might happen if he passed beneath the wires.
Perhaps he feared the wires might be some kind of trap or weapon. Maybe he thought they could be used to send signals to his enemies about his location. Or possibly he believed they had some supernatural power that could harm him. Whatever his reasoning, his fear was so strong that he would not listen to any explanations or reassurances from his advisers.
A Ridiculous Solution
The entire royal procession came to a complete stop on the road. Carriages, guards, and officials all waited motionless while the Sultan stared at the offending telegraph wires. The situation was becoming embarrassing, as crowds had gathered to watch the religious ceremony.
Finally, the Sultan’s aides-de-camp had to gallop away to find someone from the railway headquarters who could climb the telephone poles and cut down the wires. Only after the wires were completely removed would the Sultan agree to continue his journey to the mosque.
The Lasting Effects of Fear
Even after this incident was resolved, the Sultan’s paranoia about the telegraph wires continued. He absolutely forbade the railway officials from putting the wires back up, even though this disrupted their communication system. The railway company was forced to find a creative solution to this problem.
According to reports, the railway officials secretly dug a trench and buried the telegraph wires underground so they could restore their communication network without the Sultan seeing any wires above ground. However, they lived in constant fear that the Sultan might discover their solution.
If the Sultan ever learned that the wires were still there, just hidden beneath the road surface, he might refuse to travel that route ever again. This would create serious problems for future religious ceremonies and state visits to the mosque.
The Price of Paranoia
This incident perfectly demonstrates how the Sultan’s paranoia was affecting not just individuals like Fuad Pasha, but the entire functioning of the Ottoman government. Simple administrative tasks became complicated challenges when they had to accommodate the Sultan’s irrational fears.
The telegraph wire incident also shows how the Sultan’s mental state was becoming increasingly unstable. His inability to distinguish between real threats and imaginary dangers was making it nearly impossible for him to govern effectively. While his exiled friends in Damascus hoped for his recovery, incidents like this suggested that his condition was only getting worse.
