- Chelengk
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Nelson, by Lemuel Francis Abbott, with his chelengk in his admiral's hat
A chelengk (Turkish: çelenk) is a decoration of the Ottoman empire. It was a turban ornament consisting of a central flower with leaves and buds, and thirteen upward-facing rays. Çelenk is used in modern Turkish exclusively for circular decorations made from flowers and leaves, and they are usually arranged for ornaments.
A chelengk was awarded to Horatio Nelson by Sultan Selim III in honor of the Battle of the Nile in 1798 and to Russian Admiral Fyodor Ushakov for taking over Korfu.
In Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey–Maturin series of novels, Captain Jack Aubrey is at one point awarded a chelengk by the Sultan of Turkey.[1] This adornment was worn on his dress uniform hat and contained hidden clockwork, so that the diamond strands shimmered in the sun.
See also
Sources
- Adkins, Roy & Adkins, Lesley: The War for All Oceans: From Nelson at the Nile to Napoleon at Waterloo, Abacus, 2007, ISBN 978-0-349-11916-8, p. 38
- The National Maritime Museum website, retrieved 12.9.2007
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