Ministry of War (Bâb-ı Seraskerî) - 12 anna

The theme of this issue highlights the center of Ottoman military power and institutional authority, featuring the Ministry of War gate (Bâb-ı Seraskerî) in Istanbul. The illustration carries a message of martial discipline and imperial bureaucracy, reflecting the central role of the military in governing the distant reaches of Mesopotamia. In the Iraqi context, the heavy "IRAQ IN BRITISH OCCUPATION" overprint provides a powerful visual metaphor for the collapse of Turkish military rule and the rise of the British Mandate. By utilizing these symbols of Ottoman strength to facilitate local postal services, the British administration created a hybrid document of history that records the transfer of sovereignty and the institutional reordering of Iraqi society during the transformative years following the First World War.