TRENDEFRAtlas of the Sultans · Glossary
Term · Sovereignty and central government
Also known as: Tuğra, nişan
The emblem that shows the sultan's name, his father's name and his titles in a special arrangement, serving as signature and seal on documents.
The first Ottoman tughra belongs to Orhan Gazi (1324); no tughra of Osman Gazi has been found. The tughra contains the sultan's name together with his father's, with the title “khan” and the prayer “el-muzaffer dâimâ” (ever victorious) added. It was drawn on documents by the nişancı. Each sultan's own tughra can be seen on his profile in the atlas.
Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, article “TUĞRA” (in Turkish); text condensed for the atlas.