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Ten-pointed faceted silver star with silver gilt five-pointed stars between the arms, on swivel crown suspension surmounted by a crescent; the face with a circular central blue enamel medallion imposed bearing a five-pointed silver gilt star, encircled by a red enamel ring inscribed in gilt Arabic letters; the reverse plain; diameter 50.82mm (2 inches); on original ribbon with rosette denoting an award of the officer class. The Order was instituted in 1887 by the Sultan of Tadjourah, Hamed-ben-Mohamed, to “perpetuate the happy moment when he and his people placed themselves under the protection of glorious France”. The Order became a French Colonial Order by the decrees of 10 and 23 May 1896 and on 5 December 1899 the original red ribbon with two blue and white stripes to each side was replaced by the ribbon seen on this example. The Order became defunct on 3 December 1963. Tadjourah is a district of Djibouti on the Horn of Africa. An excellent example of this rare colonial order, for many years in the collection of the American Numismatic Society.
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