Easy and simple: announces the construction of 100 clock towers throughout the empire.
Abed El-Hamid II (or Abdul Hamid II), Turkish Sultan and 34th ruler of the Ottoman Empire, was born in 1842 in Istanbul of the Ottoman Empire. The years of his reign were formative in the history of the Ottoman Empire and marked its end. During his time, the Ottoman Empire lost large areas in the Balkans, Egypt to the British Empire, Tunisia to France, and at the end of his term, most of its territory was in the Asian continent and the Middle East. Abed El Hamid is responsible for the Armenian genocide (1894-1896), although there is a dispute among historians as to whether his responsibility was governmental because he knew about what was happening and ignored it, or whether he himself led the events.
The year 1900 marked the 25th anniversary of Sultan Abed El Hamid II's reign over the Ottoman Empire. To mark this event, the Sultan ordered the construction of 100 clock towers throughout the empire to symbolize its entry into the modern era. The towers were built in the center of cities that were significant for the empire and usually near government institutions or on top of historical buildings. Many of these towers were destroyed over the years due to wars and natural disasters and most of the towers that exist today are in Turkey.
In Israel 7 clocks were built, 6 of which still exist and stand in their place, some of them have even been repaired and are working.
The clocks in Israel were established, as in the rest of the empire, in the main cities:
Jerusalem - by Jaffa Gate, dismantled by the British, does not exist today. The other 6 clocks that are still standing are in: Jaffa, Acre, Nazareth, Haifa, Safed and Nablus.
Photos:
1. The Clock Tower in Jerusalem, by Jaffa Gate, early 20th century, just before dismantled by the British.
2. The clock tower of Jaffa, photo: Nir Topper
3. Abdel Hamid II; Official Portrait of Prince Abdulhamid at Balmoral Castle in 1867, Wikipedia
I love jaffa