| Chelengk of the Ottoman Empire | |
|---|---|
 Replica ofLord Nelson's diamond chelengk | |
| Type | Jewellery |
| Awarded for | Outstanding services to the state |
| Country | Ottoman Empire |
| Presented by | .svg) Ottoman Sultan |
| Eligibility | Civilians and military |
| Status | No longer awarded |
| Established | 1798 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Order of Osmanieh |
| Next (lower) | Gallipoli Star |
Achelengk (Ottoman Turkish:چـلنك;[1]Turkish:çelenk,pronounced[tʃeˈlæɲc]) was a military decoration of theOttoman Empire.
Originally açelenk was "a bird's feather which one attaches to the turban as a sign of bravery"[2] but by the end of the 18th century, theçelenk had become institutionalized in Ottoman military practice and continued to be awarded for military merit up to the 1820s.[3] It was a jewelledaigrette consisting of a central flower with leaves and buds, and upward-facing rays.
In modern Turkish, açelenk is a wreath or garland, a circular decoration made from flowers and leaves, usually arranged as an ornament.
A specially-made chelengk was awarded toHoratio Nelson by SultanSelim III in honour of theBattle of the Nile in 1798. This was the first time that a chelengk was conferred on a non-Ottoman.[3] The usual seven rays were augmented to thirteen, as described in a contemporary letter:
The Aigrette is a kind of feather; it represents a hand with thirteen fingers, which are of diamonds, and allusive to the thirteen ships taken and destroyed at Alexandria, the size that of a child's hand about six years old when opened; the center diamond and the four round it may be worth about £1000 each, and there are about 300 others well set.[4]
Nelson's chelengk was bought by theSociety for Nautical Research in 1929 following a national appeal[5] and placed in theNational Maritime Museum. It was stolen in 1951 byTaters Chatham and never recovered.[6]
Selim III also gave a chelengk toRussianAdmiralFyodor Ushakov after thecapture of Corfu from the French in 1799.[citation needed]
Plume d'oiseau qu'on attache sur le bonnet en signe de vaillance