The text provides brief information about prominent figures in Turkish academia and education who have made significant contributions to various fields in the country. Learn about the lives and works of individuals who have left their mark on Turkey’s science and culture history.
Ord. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Fuat Köprülü
Mehmet Fuat Köprülü is one of the most important figures in the fields of Social and Human Sciences, especially History and Literature, in Turkey. He is descended from Köprülüzade Mehmet Pasha. He was born in Istanbul in 1890. After graduating from Mercan High School, he attended the School of Law (Law Faculty) from 1907 to 1910, but found his professors inadequate and abandoned his education there. He taught Turkish Literature at various high schools in Istanbul, including Mercan, Kabataş, Istanbul, and Galatasaray. In 1913, he was appointed as a professor of Turkish Literature History at Istanbul University. Thus, he became a professor at the age of 23. In 1923, he was elected as the Dean of the Faculty of Literature. After 1935, he taught at Ankara University-Faculty of Language, History and Geography, and the Mülkiye School. In later years, he was among the founders of the Democrat Party. During the DP government in 1950, he served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Until his death in 1966, he spent almost 60 years of his 76-year life constantly writing, producing nearly 1500 works. His son, Orhan Fuat Köprülü, is also a history professor like his father.
Ord. Prof. Dr. Ali Fuat Başgil
Ali Fuat Bey was born in Samsun-Çarşamba in 1893. After completing his primary education there, he came to Istanbul for high school. However, with the outbreak of World War I during his high school years, he left his education unfinished and joined the army. After the end of the war in 1918, he went to France and completed his interrupted high school education in Paris at the Grenoble University Law Faculty. He then pursued his higher education at the University of Paris, where he completed his doctorate. He returned to the country in 1930 and became an associate professor at Ankara University. Later, he was promoted to full professorship. With the establishment of Istanbul University, he began teaching Constitutional Law there. He served as the Dean of the Law Faculty for a period. He was among the 147 individuals who were expelled from universities after the 1960 coup. A year later, a law was enacted for the return of these individuals to universities, but Ali Fuat Başgil retired instead of returning to education after being threatened by the military forces of the period with the statement “we cannot guarantee your life”. He then went abroad and started working at the University of Geneva. He was elected as a Member of Parliament in 1965 upon his return to the country but did not live long enough to finish his term. He passed away in Istanbul in 1967.
Ord. Prof. Dr. Mazhar Osman
Mazhar Osman, who graduated from the Military Medical School in 1904, had a career in medicine that extended to Bakırköy Hospital. He was a specialist in psychiatry and neurology. He was the founder of the first modern mental health hospital in Turkey, the Bakırköy Mental and Neurological Diseases Hospital, established on June 15, 1927. He served as the chief physician of this hospital for a long time. In 1933, he was appointed as an ordinary professor at Istanbul University Psychiatry Clinic. He resigned from the position of Chief Physician at Bakırköy Hospital in 1941 and served as a faculty member until his death in 1951. He produced many works in the academic field and trained successful students.
Ord. Prof. Dr. Arif Müfit Mansel
Arif Müfit Mansel is one of the pioneers of archaeology in Turkey, especially after Osman Hamdi Bey. He was born in Istanbul in 1905. After completing his high school education at Saint Benoit High School, he won a scholarship to Berlin University. Having studied there for many years, Mansel completed his doctorate in 1929. After returning to Turkey, Arif Müfit Mansel served in various excavations. In 1936, he was appointed as the head of the Thrace excavations by the Turkish Historical Society (TTK). In the same year, he was appointed as an associate professor at Istanbul University and started teaching at the newly established Classical Archaeology Department. He reached the rank of professor in 1944. In 1947, he wrote the book “Ege ve Yunan Tarihi” (Aegean and Greek History) and this book was published by the TTK. Arif Müfit Mansel, who pioneered the establishment of the Archaeology Research Station in Antalya in 1954, continued his work there until his death in 1975.
Ord. Prof. Dr. Cahit Arf
Cahit Arf is one of the prominent figures in mathematics in Turkey. Drawing attention with his ability to solve problems that upperclassmen couldn’t solve while in middle school, he was sent to Paris St. Louis High School by his family to receive a better education. After completing his higher education in France, he worked as a mathematics teacher at Galatasaray High School. He later moved to Istanbul University. In 1937, he went to Göttingen University and completed his doctorate there. He became a professor in 1943 and an ordinary professor in 1955. He pioneered the establishment of TÜBİTAK and served as the chairman of the Science Board from 1963 to 1971. He retired from Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) in 1980. Cahit Arf, the foremost representative of mathematics in our country, passed away on December 26, 1997.
Prof. Dr. Afet İnan
Afet İnan is the spiritual daughter of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. She was born in 1908 in Thessaloniki. When her family migrated to Anatolia after the Balkan Wars, Afet İnan continued her education here. She graduated from Bursa Girls’ Teacher Training School in 1925 and started teaching in Izmir. During Atatürk’s visit to Izmir in 1925, Afet İnan met him, and due to her being from Thessaloniki, he showed special interest in her. Later, upon Atatürk’s instructions, Afet İnan was sent to Switzerland for foreign language education. After returning to Turkey in 1927, she passed the secondary school history teaching exam and was appointed as a teacher at Ankara Musiki Muallim Mektebi. After 1933, she started working at Ankara Girls’ High School. Afet İnan played a role in the establishment of the Turkish Historical Society and served as its president for a period. On January 9, 1936, she gave the first lecture at the opening of Ankara University, Faculty of Language, History and Geography. Although she was offered a professorship, Afet İnan did not accept it because she had not completed her doctorate. She completed her doctorate at the University of Geneva and became an associate professor in 1942 and a professor in 1950. She wrote many articles and books. She passed away on June 8, 1985. Her book “Memories and Documents About Atatürk,” left incomplete at her death, was completed by her daughter Arı İnan and published.
Prof. Dr. Osman Turan
Osman Turan is one of the most important and pioneering figures in Turkish historiography, especially in Seljuk history. He was born in Trabzon in 1914. Since his father was a martyr, Osman Turan was orphaned at a young age. After graduating from Taş Mektep High School in Trabzon, he joined the Middle Ages History Department under the administration of Fuat Köprülü at the newly established Faculty of Language, History, and Geography at Ankara University. After graduating from there in 1940, he remained as an assistant at the school due to his diligence and success, drawing the attention of his professors.
Under the supervision of Mehmet Fuat Köprülü, Osman Turan completed his doctorate here and became an associate professor in 1944. After outstanding work, he was promoted to full professorship in 1951. In 1954, he was elected as a Member of Parliament and married Emine Satia Hanım, the granddaughter of Sultan Abdulhamid II. He was elected as the president of the Turkish Hearth (Türk Ocakları) in 1959 and made significant contributions to the Türk Yurdu magazine. He was tried at Yassıada after the 1960 coup but was acquitted. He served as deputy chairman of the Justice Party in 1964 but shortly thereafter left the party due to differences of opinion. He ran as a candidate for MHP Trabzon Deputy in the 1969 elections but did not achieve political success and withdrew from politics. Osman Turan, who spoke English, French, Arabic, and Persian, passed away in 1978.
Prof. Dr. Erdal İnönü
Erdal İnönü is known not only as a scientist but also more for his political personality in Turkey. He was born in Ankara in 1926 during his father İsmet İnönü’s tenure as Prime Minister. After graduating from Ankara Gazi High School in 1943, he graduated from the Faculty of Science at Ankara University in 1947 with degrees in Physics and Mathematics. He then went to the United States for higher education, studying in California. After completing his doctorate in 1951, he conducted research at Princeton University for a while.
Upon his return to Turkey, he served as department head, dean, and rector at ODTÜ. In 1975, he was appointed as the dean of the Faculty of Basic Sciences at Boğaziçi University. He entered politics by founding the Social Democratic Populist Party in 1983. He actively participated in politics until the party merged with the CHP in 1995. After 1995, he withdrew from politics. In 2006, he was diagnosed with leukemia and went to the United States for treatment. Although his treatment was successful, his illness recurred a year later. Erdal İnönü passed away on October 31, 2007, at the hospital where he was receiving treatment in the United States.
Prof. Dr. Türkan Saylan
Türkan Saylan was born in Istanbul in 1935. After graduating from Kandilli Elementary School and then Kandilli Girls’ High School in 1953, she graduated from Istanbul Faculty of Medicine in 1963. In 1968, she became an assistant at Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatology. In 1971, she received a scholarship to study in England. The following year, she became an associate professor. She conducted research in France in 1974 and in England in 1976.
Türkan Saylan became a professor in 1977. Between 1982-87, she served as the head of the Department of Dermatology at Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine. In 1989, she played a role in the establishment of the Contemporary Living Support Association (ÇYDD) and served as its president for a period. In 1992, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and fought it for a long time. She retired from her position at Istanbul University on December 13, 2002. In 2009, during the Ergenekon trials, she faced a series of allegations. Her house was searched by the police, and some media organizations defamed her. Very saddened by all of these, Türkan Saylan passed away on May 18, 2009, at the age of 73.
Prof. Dr. Oktay Sinanoğlu
Oktay Sinanoğlu achieved the title of professor in chemistry at a very young age. He was born in Italy in 1935 because his father worked at the Turkish consulate abroad. He learned Italian as his native language and also learned French there. After settling in Ankara with his family, he learned Turkish and always emphasized the importance of the Turkish language until the end of his life.
After graduating from high school in 1953 with top honors, he went to the USA with a scholarship. He started at the California Institute of Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering. By the time he graduated from there in 1960, he was already an associate professor. He started working at Yale University in 1963 and became a full professor in 1963. He continued his work at Yale University until 1997. After retiring, he returned to the country and worked at Yıldız Technical University, Department of Chemistry, from 1997 to 2002. On April 19, 2015, he passed away during treatment in Florida, USA.