Istanbul University

Istanbul University
İstanbul Üniversitesi
Motto	"Leadership in Higher Education for Centuries"
Established	30 May 1453 As university; 1874 and 1933[1]
Type	Public University
Rector	Prof. Dr. Yunus Söylet
Admin. staff	6,000
Undergraduates	76,000
Postgraduates	12,000
Location	Istanbul, Turkey
Campus	Beyazıt, Vezneciler, Avcılar Bahçeköy, Çapa, Cerrahpaşa, Kadıköy
Founder	Fatih Sultan Mehmed (1453) Abdülmecid I (1846) Abdülaziz I (1870) Abdülhamid II (1900) Mehmed Reşat (1912) M. Kemal Atatürk (1933)
Colors	Green      Yellow
Affiliations	Coimbra Group EUA UNIMED
Website	istanbul.edu.tr

Istanbul University (Turkish: İstanbul Üniversitesi) is a Turkish university located in Istanbul. The main campus is adjacent to Beyazıt Square.

History

Synopsis

See also: Pandidakterion

A madrasa, a religious school, was established sometime in the 15th century after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople.^[1] An institution of higher education named the Darülfünun-i Osmani ('House of Sciences') was created in 1863, but suppressed in 1871.^[1] In 1874 the Imperial University (Darülfünun-i Sultani) started to give lectures in law in French, but was closed in 1881.^[1]

The Imperial University, now known as Darülfünun-i Shahane was refounded in 1900, with the departments of theology, arts, mathematics, science and philology.^[1] In 1924, the faculties of law, medicine, arts and sciences were established in Istanbul University (Istanbul Darülfünunu), as the university was now called.^[1] Islamic theology was added in 1925, but in 1933 the university was reorganized without the latter.^[1]

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, 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 of the Turkish 500 lira banknotes of 1971-1984.^[2]

Faculties

Main entrance gate on Beyazit Square with Beyazıt Tower in the background

Main building with statue of Atatürk

Main building interior

Byzantine remains near Beyazıt Tower

Reverse of the 500 lira banknote (1971-1984)

• Faculty of Political Sciences
• Faculty of Law
• Faculty of Journalism
• Faculty of Letters and Social Sciences
• Faculty of Sciences
• Istanbul Medical School
• Cerrahpaşa Medical School
• Faculty of Economics
• Faculty of Pharmacy
• Hasan Ali Yücel Faculty of Education
• Faculty of Dentistry
• Faculty of Forestry
• Faculty of Engineering
• Faculty of Veterinary Sciences
• Faculty of Business Administration
• Faculty of Communication
• Faculty of Fisheries
• Faculty of Theology
• Faculty of Management of business pats

Rankings

In 2010, the Academic Ranking of World Universities ranked Istanbul University as the 401-500th best university worldwide, the only Turkish institution on the list.^[3]

In 2010, University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP) ranked Istanbul University 415th in the world and second university in Turkey.^[4]

Notable alumni

Turkish Presidents

• Abdullah Gül

Foreign Presidents

• Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, President of Israel

Turkish Prime Ministers

• Refik Saydam
• Yıldırım Akbulut
• Sadi Irmak
• Suad Hayri Ürgüplü
• Nihat Erim

Foreign Prime Ministers

• David Ben-Gurion, Prime Minister of Israel
• Moshe Sharett, Prime Minister of Israel

Turkish Ministers

• Mehmet Ali Şahin

Columnists

• Uğur Dündar

Scientists

• Hulusi Behcet
• Aykut Barka
• Alp Ikizler
• Muzaffer Şerif
• Zeynel Mungan

Writers

• Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar
• Orhan Pamuk, Nobel Laureate in Literature
• İlhan Selçuk^[5]
• Oben Özaydın
• Nihal Atsiz

Poets

• Orhan Veli
• Attila İlhan
• Onat Kutlar

Musicians

• Mercan Dede
• Sadettin Kaynak
• Arif Mardin
• Bülent Ortaçgil

Other

• Deniz Gezmiş - Political activist
• Okan Yalabık - Actor
• Özgür Çevik - Singer, Actor

See also

• Balkan Universities Network
• List of forestry universities and colleges
• Famous Academicians and Persons of Istanbul University (German)
• List of modern universities in Europe (1801–1945)

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} Rüegg, Walter: "European Universities and Similar Institutions in Existence between 1812 and the End of 1944: A Chronological List", in: Rüegg, Walter (ed.): A History of the University in Europe. Vol. 3: Universities in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries (1800–1945), Cambridge University Press, 2004, ISBN 978-0-521-36107-1, p. 687
2. ^ Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey. Banknote Museum: 6. Emission Group - Five Hundred Turkish Lira - I. Series & II. Series. – Retrieved on 20 April 2009.
3. ^ http://www.arwu.org/Institution.jsp?param=Istanbul%20University
4. ^ "URAP - University Ranking by Academic Performance". http://www.urapcenter.org. 
5. ^ "Turkish journalist İlhan Selçuk died". National Turk. 2008-06-23. http://www.nationalturk.com/en/turkish-journalist-ilhan-selcuk-died-539647. Retrieved 2010-07-06. 

Media related to Istanbul University at Wikimedia Commons

External links

• Istanbul University website (Turkish) (English)
• History of Istanbul University (Turkish)
• ISTANBUL UNIVERSITY CENTRE FOR RESEARCH AND PRACTICE IN HUMAN RIGHTS LAW
• Istanbul University Faculty of Business Administration
• Istanbul University Alumni Association of USA
• Istanbul Faculty of Medicine (Turkish)
• Istanbul University Medical Laboratory, Avcılar

Coordinates: 41°00′46.93″N 28°57′49.95″E / 41.0130361°N 28.963875°E / 41.0130361; 28.963875