İlber Ortaylı

İlber Ortaylı (; 21 May 1947 – 13 March 2026) was a Turkish historian and professor of history of Crimean Tatar origin at the Galatasaray University in Istanbul and at Ankara University and Bilkent University in Ankara. In 2005, he was appointed the director of the Topkapı Museum in Istanbul, until he retired in 2012.

Considered one of the most prominent historians in Turkey, Ortaylı has influenced both academic scholarship and public understanding of history through his research, widely read popular history books, and television programs.

Early life and education Ortaylı was born on 21 May 1947 in a refugee camp in Bregenz, Austria, where his Crimean Tatar parents, Kemal and Şefika (; 1918–2020),

Ortaylı made acquaintance with intellectuals from both Turkey and other countries. Notable are Halil İnalcık, Irene Melikoff, Bernard Lewis, Andreas Tietze.

His published articles are mainly in Turkish, German and French and a variety of them are translated into English.

Ortaylı was an honorary member of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts (2011), the Turkish Academy of Sciences (2012) and Turkish Historical Society, a member of the Foundation for International Studies, the Societas Iranologica Europeae and Austrian-Turkish Forum of Sciences.

Research Ortaylı published numerous articles focused on diplomacy, cultural history and intellectual history. Some examples are: Ottoman History Russian History (e.g. "Romanovs and Constantinople" and "19th-century Russian Empire") Ottoman-Habsburg Relations German Influence in the 19th century Ottoman Empire (as his masters degree thesis) Travel writing In the Ottoman Empire History of Turkish Drama

He also published articles on urban history including Latins of the Pera district of the Constantinople for Istanbul and various historical cities which were once under the Ottoman influence; history of provincial administration focusing on the transformation of institutions in the Ottoman Empire from the beginning to the 19th century.

Personal life He grew up trilingual, learning German from his father and Russian from his mother. As a polyglot historian he was proficient in Turkish, German, Italian, English, French, Arabic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish, Russian, and Latin.

Ortaylı was married to Ayşe Özdolay (born 1950) between 1981 and 1999. He credits his experiences as a travel guide in his writing of "popular history" books and essays.

Ortaylı wrote columns for the daily Hürriyet. He was buried in the Fatih Mosque Graveyard following a memorial ceremony at Galatasaray University and the religious service at Fatih Mosque. Many prominent figures and politicians attended his funeral.

Awards and honors

2001: Aydın Doğan Award in the field of history, from the Aydın Doğan Foundation, for his works, articles, and books published since the early 1970s, his efforts to popularize the science of history, his activities to make history beloved by Turkish people of all ages, his scientific activities abroad, and his significant international role in Turkish historiography, in addition to his work Osmanlı Tarihinde Aile (Family in Ottoman History). 2005: Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity 2006: Il Lazio tra Europa e Mediterraneo 2007: Medal of Pushkin for his "great contribution to the spread and study of the Russian language, the preservation of cultural heritage and the rapprochement and mutual enrichment of different nations’ and people's cultures" under a decree signed by Vladimir Putin and announced officially by the Kremlin, the ceremony took place at the Russian Consulate in Istanbul. 2010: Austrian Decoration for Science and Art 2011: Officier des Arts et des Lettres 2016: Officer of the Order of the Star of Italy 2017: Turkish Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Awards