Istanbul University
Encyclopedia
Istanbul University is a Turkish university located in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...

. The main campus is adjacent to Beyazıt Square.

Synopsis

A madrasa, a religious school, was established sometime in the 15th century after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople
Fall of Constantinople
The Fall of Constantinople was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire, which occurred after a siege by the Ottoman Empire, under the command of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, against the defending army commanded by Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI...

. An institution of higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...

 named the Darülfünun-i Osmani ('House of Sciences') was created in 1863, but suppressed in 1871. In 1874 the Imperial University (Darülfünun-i Sultani) started to give lectures in law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...

 in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

, but was closed in 1881.

The Imperial University, now known as Darülfünun-i Shahane was refounded in 1900, with the departments of theology, arts, mathematics, science and philology. In 1924, the faculties
Faculty (university)
A faculty is a division within a university comprising one subject area, or a number of related subject areas...

 of law, medicine, arts and sciences were established in Istanbul University (Istanbul Darülfünunu), as the university was now called. Islamic theology was added in 1925, but in 1933 the university was reorganized without the latter.

Expanded account

The first modern Applied Physics courses were given at the Darülfünûn on 31 December 1863, which marked the beginning of a new period, and on 20 February 1870, the school was renamed as the Darülfünûn-u Osmanî ('Ottoman House of Multiple Sciences') and reorganized to meet the needs of modern sciences and technologies. Starting from 1874, some classes of Literature, Law and Applied Sciences were given at the building of Galatasaray High School, which continued regularly until 1881. On 1 September 1900, the school was renamed and reorganized as the Darülfünûn-u Şahane ('Imperial House of Multiple Sciences') with courses on Mathematics, Literature and Theology. On 20 April 1912, the school was renamed as the İstanbul Darülfünûnu ('Istanbul House of Multiple Sciences') while the number of courses were increased and the curricula were modernized with the establishment of the Schools of Medicine, Law, Applied Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics), Literature and Theology.

On 21 April 1924, the Republic of Turkey recognized the Istanbul Darülfünûnu as a state school, and on 7 October 1925, the administrative autonomy of Istanbul Darülfünûnu was recognized while the "Schools" (within the old Medrese system) became modern "Faculties". On 1 August 1933, Istanbul Darülfünûnu was reorganized as Istanbul University (İstanbul Üniversitesi) following the educational reforms of Atatürk. Classes officially began on 1 November 1933.

Campus

The university has seventeen faculties on five campuses, the main campus being on Beyazıt Square in Istanbul, which was known as the Forum Tauri in the Roman period. It has a teaching staff of 2,000 professors and associates and 4,000 assistants and younger staff. More than 60,000 undergraduate and 8,000 postgraduate students follow the courses offered by Istanbul University every year. The main campus with its landmark gate used to be the Ottoman ministry of war. Located on the grounds is the Beyazıt Tower
Beyazit Tower
Beyazıt Tower, also named Seraskier Tower, from the name of the Ottoman ministry of War, is an 85 metre tall fire-watch tower located in the courtyard of Istanbul University's main campus on Beyazıt Square in Istanbul, Turkey, on top of one of the "seven hills" which Constantine the Great had built...

, a 85 m (279 ft) tall fire-watch tower. The grounds before that was the location of the Eski Palace (Old Palace). Some Roman and Byzantine ruins are still visible on the grounds.

The main gate was depicted on the reverse
Obverse and reverse
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags , seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse...

 of the Turkish 500 lira
Turkish lira
The Turkish lira is the currency of Turkey and the de facto independent state of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The lira is subdivided into 100 kuruş...

 banknotes of 1971-1984.

Faculties

  • Faculty of Political Sciences
  • Faculty of Law
    Law
    Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...

  • Faculty of Journalism
    Journalism
    Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...

  • Faculty of Letters
    Literature
    Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...

     and Social Sciences
    Social sciences
    Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...

  • Faculty of Science
    Science
    Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...

    s
  • Istanbul Medical School
  • Cerrahpaşa Medical School
  • Faculty of Economics
    Economics
    Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

  • Faculty of Pharmacy
    Pharmacy
    Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...

  • Hasan Ali Yücel Faculty of Education
    Education
    Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...

  • Faculty of Dentistry
    Dentistry
    Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...

  • Faculty of Forestry
    Forestry
    Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...

  • Faculty of Engineering
    Engineering
    Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...

  • Faculty of Veterinary Sciences
    Veterinary medicine
    Veterinary Medicine is the branch of science that deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, disorder and injury in non-human animals...

  • Faculty of Business Administration
    Management
    Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...

  • Faculty of Communication
    Communication
    Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...

  • Faculty of Fisheries
  • Faculty of Theology
    Theology
    Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...

  • Faculty of Management of business pats

Rankings

In 2010, the Academic Ranking of World Universities
Academic Ranking of World Universities
The Academic Ranking of World Universities , commonly known as the Shanghai ranking, is a publication that was founded and compiled by the Shanghai Jiaotong University to rank universities globally. The rankings have been conducted since 2003 and updated annually...

 ranked Istanbul University as the 401-500th best university worldwide, the only Turkish institution on the list.

In 2010, University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP) ranked Istanbul University 415th in the world and second university in Turkey.

Notable alumni

Turkish Presidents:
  • Abdullah Gül
    Abdullah Gül
    Dr. Abdullah Gül, GCB is the 11th and current President of the Republic of Turkey, serving in that office since 28 August 2007. He previously served for four months as Prime Minister from 2002-03, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2003-07....


Foreign Presidents
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...

:
  • Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
    Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
    Yitzhak Ben-Zvi was a historian, Labor Zionist leader, the second and longest-serving President of Israel.-Biography:...

    , President of Israel
    Israel
    The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...


Turkish Prime Ministers:
  • Refik Saydam
    Refik Saydam
    Dr. Refik Ibrahim Saydam was the 4th Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey from 25 January 1939 to 8 July 1942.-Biography:...

  • Yıldırım Akbulut
    Yildirim Akbulut
    Yıldırım Akbulut is a Turkish politician, who was a leader of the Anavatan Partisi , a former Prime Minister of Turkey and twice the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.-Biography:...

  • Sadi Irmak
    Sadi Irmak
    Mahmut Sadi Irmak, was a Turkish academics in physiology, politician and former Prime Minister of Turkey.-Biography:...

  • Suad Hayri Ürgüplü
  • Nihat Erim
    Nihat Erim
    Ismail Nihat Erim was a Turkish politician and jurist. Nihat Erim was born in Kandıra to Raif Erim and Macide Erim. He served as the prime minister of Turkey from 1971 until 1972, for almost 14 months...


Foreign Prime Ministers
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...

:
  • David Ben-Gurion
    David Ben-Gurion
    ' was the first Prime Minister of Israel.Ben-Gurion's passion for Zionism, which began early in life, led him to become a major Zionist leader and Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946...

    , Prime Minister of Israel
    Israel
    The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

  • Moshe Sharett
    Moshe Sharett
    Moshe Sharett on 15 October 1894, died 7 July 1965) was the second Prime Minister of Israel , serving for a little under two years between David Ben-Gurion's two terms.-Early life:...

    , Prime Minister of Israel

Turkish Ministers
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....

:
  • Mehmet Ali Şahin
    Mehmet Ali Sahin
    Mehmet Ali Şahin is a Turkish politician. He was the Speaker of the Parliament of Turkey between 2009 and 2011....


Columnists:
  • Uğur Dündar
    Ugur Dündar
    Uğur Dündar is a Turkish journalist, anchorman, political commentator and writer.He was born in Akören village of Silivri district in Istanbul Province. He graduated from Istanbul University's Economics faculty. He joined Turkish Radio and Television Corporation in 1970 and built a journalistic...


Scientists:
  • Hulusi Behcet
    Hulusi Behçet
    Hulusi Behçet was a Turkish dermatologist and scientist. He described a disease of inflamed blood vessels in 1937, which is named after him as the Behçet's disease.- Professional works :...

  • Aykut Barka
    Aykut Barka
    Aykut Barka was a Turkish earth scientist specialized in earthquake research. He is best known for his contributions to understanding the behaviour of the North Anatolian Fault Zone , one of the most dangerous active faults in the world.-Biography:He was born in Fatih district of Istanbul in 1951...

  • Alp Ikizler
    Alp Ikizler
    T. Alp Ikizler is a nephrologist, currently holding the Catherine McLaughlin Hakim chair in Medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, where he does clinical work and heads a research lab. Born in Istanbul, Turkey, he received his M.D. from the Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine.Dr....

  • Muzaffer Şerif
    Muzafer Sherif
    Muzafer Sherif was one of the founders of social psychology...

  • Zeynel Mungan
    Zeynel Mungan
    Zeynel Mungan is a Turkish citizen and Professor of Medicine, recognized for his academic achievements in the field of gastroenterelogy.-Biography:...


Writers:
  • Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar
    Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar
    Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar was one of the most important modern novelists and essayists of Turkish literature. He was also a member of the Turkish parliament between 1942 and 1946.-Biography:...

  • Orhan Pamuk
    Orhan Pamuk
    Ferit Orhan Pamuk , generally known simply as Orhan Pamuk, is a Turkish novelist. He is also the Robert Yik-Fong Tam Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University, where he teaches comparative literature and writing....

    , Nobel Laureate
    Nobel Prize
    The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...

     in Literature
  • İlhan Selçuk
    İlhan Selçuk
    İlhan Selçuk was a Turkish lawyer, journalist, author, novelist and editor.Selcuk was born in the western Turkish Aydın Province in 1925. He earned a law degree from Istanbul University in 1950. He began writing for magazines and newspapers after his graduation. He also authored numerous books and...

  • Oben Özaydın
    Oben Özaydin
    Oben Özaydın is a Turkish Muslim columnist, who argues both against imperialism and every kind of terrorism. In 1985 his first article was published in the newspaper Hakimiyet. He graduated from the International Relations Department of Istanbul University in 1990...

  • Nihal Atsiz

Poets:
  • Orhan Veli
    Orhan Veli
    Orhan Veli Kanık or Orhan Veli was a Turkish poet. Kanık who is the founder of Garip Movement together with Oktay Rıfat and Melih Cevdet has moved to the poetic language, utterance of man-in-the street by purposing rootedly to change the old structure in Turkish poetry...

  • Attila İlhan
    Attila Ilhan
    Attilâ İlhan was a Turkish poet, novelist, essayist, journalist and reviewer.-Early life:Attilâ İlhan was born in Menemen in İzmir Province, Turkey. He received most of his primary education in İzmir. However, because of his father's job, he completed his junior high school education in different...

  • Onat Kutlar

Musicians:
  • Mercan Dede
    Mercan Dede
    Mercan Dede , also known as DJ Arkin Allen, is a Turkish composer, ney and bendir player, DJ and producer. He divides his time between Turkey, Europe and North America...

  • Sadettin Kaynak
    Sadettin Kaynak
    Sadettin Kaynak was a prominent composer of Turkish classical music.-Biography:Born in Istanbul, he became a hafiz at a young age. He completed his music education at the Istanbul University. Later, he traveled to south east Anatolia and researched Turkish folk music there...

  • Arif Mardin
    Arif Mardin
    Arif Mardin was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco, and country...

  • Bülent Ortaçgil
    Bülent Ortaçgil
    Bülent Ortaçgil is a Turkish composer and singer.-Biography:He was born in Ankara, Turkey in 1950. He moved to Istanbul after starting elementary school which he finished at Sultanahmet Elementary School in Istanbul. He completed his middle school and high school education at Kadıköy Anadolu Lisesi...


Other:
  • Deniz Gezmiş
    Deniz Gezmis
    Deniz Gezmiş was a Turkish Marxist-Leninist revolutionary and political activist in the Turkey in the late 1960s...

     - Political activist
  • Okan Yalabık
    Okan Yalabık
    Okan Yalabık is a Turkish actor.-Biography:Okan Yalabık started at acting in theatre at the age of 16. In 1997, he graduated from Istanbul University's State Conservatory as an actor...

     - Actor
  • Özgür Çevik
    Özgür Çevik
    Özgür Çevik is a Turkish singer and actor who gained fame and intense fan following as a result of having appeared in his country's version of the television pop music talent contest, Star Academy and, subsequently, as a variety performer and actor.A native of Ankara, his father was a soldier and...

      - Singer, Actor

See also


External links

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