The "Columbus of his Nation": The Visit of Emin Bey to the United States

Abstract

Abstract: Placing Emin Bey, the first Ottoman envoy sent to the United States, at the center of analysis, this article examines the visit of an Ottoman naval officer, a member of the nascent Ottoman "scientific intelligentsia," and his efforts to challenge the pre-existing American perceptions of the Ottoman Empire in the antebellum era. The first section of this article discusses how Ottoman military reforms paved the way for the emergence of a new kind of "engineer officer" like Emin Bey. The second section expounds on the surprising impact that Emin Bey's visit made on American society. It analyzes how an Ottoman naval officer offered an opportunity through which American citizens reevaluated their diplomatic, social, and cultural institutions as well as those of the "Orient". The final section focuses on the legacy that Emin Bey left behind him, after completing his visit in the United States.