This talk focusses on the transformation of the Ottoman consulates in Liverpool and Manchester, which were established solely for commercial purposes as early as 1810, into political instruments during the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid II. It argues that Sultan Abdülhamid II’s decree of 1891, which ordered the appointment of Muslim consuls to Liverpool and Manchester, marked a turning point, as consuls assumed political, religious and intelligence-gathering responsibilities alongside their traditional commercial duties. Focussing on Liverpool and Manchester, the talk will demonstrate how these provincial consulates became important centres for implementing Pan-Islamic policies, monitoring Armenian political activities, and strengthening relations with Muslim communities in Britain, particularly through the Liverpool Muslim Institute.
About the speaker:
Since November 2025, Dr. Muhammed Hasanov has been working as a Qualitative Researcher in
the Department of International Development (ODID) at the University of Oxford. He completed his Ph.D. in April 2026.
His doctoral thesis examined how the Armenian Question and PanIslamism affected the functioning of the Ottoman consulates in Liverpool and Manchester
between 1891 and 1908. He completed his bachelor’s degree in history in Turkey in 2020, and
earned a Master’s degree in International Relations at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU)
in 2021. His research interests cover a wide range of topics in diplomatic history, with particular
emphasis on Anglo-Ottoman relations, Pan-Islamism and its impact on the British Isles, Balkan
history and Muslim communities in the Balkans.
