The collapse of the Ottoman empire and the overthrow of Sultan Mehmed left the door wide open for a new American firm to produce what had been his majesty's royal cigarette. Mr. Zia Pacha and Shah-Mir Effendi, the former Turkish ambassador to the US and the former Turkish consul in New York respectively, organized the Arabian Nights Cigarette Company. Fifty hand-made Arabian Nights Cigarettes were sold in a unique container that was a replica of The Mosque of St. Sofia, Constantinople.