so in the market place. And secondly, that if he was to be exiled, they should allow him his firearms. The Governor accepted these conditions and exiled him to Bitlis. From there he moved to Hizan, then Bulanik, followed by Ercis, continuing to debate with the ulema in each place. He finally decided to go to Iran, but Tahir Pasa heard of this and invited him back to Van.

Bediuzzaman made his first journey to Istanbul at the age of twenty-three during the years he was in Van, staying there about a year and a half. His intention in going there was to gain support for the Medresetu'z-Zehra, the university he wanted to found in Kurdistan.

At the time in question, the Mutasarrif of Zor, Yahya Nuzhet Pasa, was on a tour of inspection of the Eastern Provinces. His visit to the headquarters of the Fourth Army in Erzincan coincided with a visit of Bediuzzaman's to the town. A close adviser of Sultan Abdulhamid's, he may well have thought that Bediuzzaman could be employed in the Sultan's plans for Islamic Unity which were then being carried out, for on meeting with Bediuzzaman, he gave him a letter of introduction to Sultan Abdulhamid's Head Falconer, Mustafa Bey.

On reaching Istanbul, Bediuzzaman presented his letter to Mustafa Bey, and for the following year and a half stayed in his residence in the street adjacent to Yildiz Palace, he then returned to Van. Bediuzzaman was not successful on this occasion in presenting any petition concerning the Medresetu'z-Zehra to the Sultan, but it was at this time that his friendship began with Mustafa Bey's son,