Editing Wilhelm II (section)

===Political visits to the Ottoman Empire===
[[File:Wilhelm_Decorated_Streets.jpg|thumb|left|Wilhelm in [[Jerusalem]] during his state visit to the Ottoman Empire, 1898]] [[File: Wilhelm II in the uniform of a Turkish Field Marshal (15 October 1917, Istanbul).jpg|thumb|left|Wilhelm in [[Ottoman Army (1861–1922)|Turkish]] field marshal uniform at [[Dolmabahçe Palace]] (15 October 1917)|354x354px]]
In his first visit to [[Constantinople]] in 1889, Wilhelm secured the sale of German-made rifles to the Ottoman Army.<ref name="istanbulnet">{{cite web|url=http://www.istanbul.net.tr/istanbul_eski_eserler_detay.asp?id=135 |title=Alman Çeşmesi |access-date=16 September 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927210356/http://www.istanbul.net.tr/istanbul_eski_eserler_detay.asp?id=135 |archive-date=27 September 2007 }}</ref> Later on, he had his second political visit to the [[Ottoman Empire]] as a guest of Sultan [[Abdulhamid II]]. The Kaiser started his journey to the Ottoman [[Eyalet]]s with Constantinople on 16 October 1898; then he went by yacht to [[Haifa]] on 25 October. After visiting [[Jerusalem]] and [[Bethlehem]], the Kaiser went back to [[Jaffa]] to embark to [[Beirut]], where he took the train passing [[Aley]] and [[Zahlé]] to reach [[Damascus]] on 7 November.<ref name="Emperor's visit">{{cite web|url=http://www.abdelraoufsinno.com/periodicals/docum_41.pdf|title=The Emperor's visit to the East: As reflected in contemporary Arabic journalism|first=Abdel-Raouf|last=Sinno|date=1998|access-date=10 April 2018|archive-date=23 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123135139/http://www.abdelraoufsinno.com/periodicals/docum_41.pdf|url-status=usurped}}</ref> While visiting the [[Mausoleum of Saladin]] the following day, the Kaiser made a speech:

{{blockquote|text=In the face of all the courtesies extended to us here, I feel that I must thank you, in my name as well as that of the Empress, for them, for the hearty reception given us in all the towns and cities we have touched, and particularly for the splendid welcome extended to us by this city of Damascus. Deeply moved by this imposing spectacle, and likewise by the consciousness of standing on the spot where held sway one of the most chivalrous rulers of all times, the great Sultan Saladin, a knight sans peur et sans reproche, who often taught his adversaries the right conception of knighthood, I seize with joy the opportunity to render thanks, above all to the Sultan Abdul Hamid for his hospitality. May the Sultan rest assured, and also the three hundred million [[Muslim|Mohammedans]] scattered over the globe and revering in him their caliph, that the German Emperor will be and remain at all times their friend.|author=Kaiser Wilhelm II|source=<ref>{{cite book|first1=Wolf Curt|last1=von Schierbrand |author-link1=Wolf Curt von Schierbrand |first2=A. Oscar|last2=Klaussmann|url=https://archive.org/details/kaisersspeechesf00williala|title=The kaiser's speeches: Forming a character portrait of Emperor William II|publisher=Harper & Brothers Publishers|year=1903|pages=[https://archive.org/details/kaisersspeechesf00williala/page/320 320]–321}}</ref>}}

On 10 November, Wilhelm went to visit [[Baalbek]] before heading to Beirut to board his ship back home on 12 November.<ref name="Emperor's visit"/> In his second visit, Wilhelm secured a promise for German companies to construct the [[Berlin–Baghdad railway]],<ref name="istanbulnet"/> and had the [[German Fountain]] constructed in Constantinople to commemorate his journey.

His third visit was on 15 October 1917, as the guest of Sultan [[Mehmed V]].