CHAPTER SIX

 
SERVICE IN THE BALKANS, AND IN THE

 
'SPECIAL ORGANIZATION'

• Return to Istanbul

Soon after giving his Sermon, Bediuzzaman left Damascus for Beirut, and from there took the boat for Izmir and Istanbul. His intention in returning to Istanbul was to renew his efforts to found the Medresetu'z-Zehra or Eastern University. The last part of Munazarat is devoted to this ideal of Bediuzzaman's, and he many years later described it as "the spirit and foundation" of the work. Thus, after his long travels through the region he resolved to get official support and backing for the construction of the university, reaffirmed in his conviction that it was the most comprehensive and far-reaching solution for the region's problems. And this time he was to have success, though the tide of events finally prevented the realization of his project.

• The Rumelia Journey

On 5 June, 1911, Sultan Mehmed Resad set out with a large retinue on his famous Rumelia Journey. It was to be the last time an Ottoman sultan visited the European provinces, for soon they were all to be lost to the Empire. The previous year had seen the first Albanian uprising. The purpose of the Sultan's journey was to reawaken feelings of patriotism and solidarity among the various peoples of Macedonia and Albania in the face of the upsurge of nationalism, and to secure social calm. On the request of the Palace, Bediuzzaman joined those accompanying the Sultan as the representative of the Eastern Provinces.