I am Ottoman

And we were a weary tribe migrating from Central Asia on horseback. We were a tribe seeking a homeland; eventually, with a few hundred tents, we settled in Söğüt. That’s how our story began. We raised the pole of our tent in Söğüt. We hammered the pegs of its ropes into three continents. I feel ‘fortunate’ to be a descendant of my ancestor Ertuğrul Gazi, and I am filled with gratitude towards Vahideddin Han. I wish I could have seen them all one by one and kissed their hands. But I am reassured: “Isn’t paradise for this?”