Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 57, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 March 1908 — Saltan's Fortress Kitchen. [ARTICLE]

Saltan's Fortress Kitchen.

The private kitchen of the Sultan of Turkey is a veritable fortress, consisting of a small chamber situated to the right of the great entrance, and Is guarded by bhrred windows and an armbr plated door. The cook officiates under the ever watchful eye of the kelardjlhl bachl, one of the most weighty functionaries In Tlldls Palace at Constantinople, for the health, the vlry life, even, of the ruler la at hla mercy. When cooked, each dish Is fastened with red wax, bearing the official seal of the kelardJlhl, and remains hermetically closed until the seals are broken In the Bultan’s own presence. His majesty's life la passed in a long series of elaborate precautions. However, in spite of the care he takes of bis h-ralt* 1 . Abdul Hamid, after a reign of twenty-live years, looks prematurely old and broken. His weakness la extreme, and his body so thin that it la llolq more than a skeleton.