A researcher specializing in the early history of the Ottoman Empire says he has identified what he believes is a steel helmet belonging to Osman I, the founder of the empire, in the inventory of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Hakan Yılmaz, a modern history specialist and researcher, said the discovery follows what he described as earlier findings of an early Ottoman coin in Qatar and an original genealogical record in Paris.
Speaking in an interview with journalist İbrahim Öge, Yılmaz said the helmet bears a seal associated with the Kayı tribe and a mark he attributes to Osman I. He argued that the artifact settles long-running debates over the Ottoman founder’s ethnic origins and his political status as an independent ruler.
“This helmet not only confirms that Osman Bey was a ‘Sultan’ and founded an independent state,” Yılmaz said, “it also puts an end to long-debated questions about his ethnic origin and tribal status.”
An illustration depicts Ottoman Empire founder Osman I. (İHA Photo)
