 Tahir Bey became the publisher in 1897, and the owner in 1898, the latter with approval from Abdulhamid II, after Nicolaides agreed to transfer it to him for 50 years.Tahir got permission to include pictures, and he also split the Ottoman Turkish and French portions into separate editions.The publication not only covered general empire news but also news about the Rum Millet and its institutions, as well as the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.