Mualla Eyüboğlu
Encyclopedia
Mualla Eyüboğlu Anhegger (1919 – August 16, 2009) was one of the first female architects of Turkey
. She is known for her restoration work on the Topkapı Palace
harem
room and the Rumelihisarı
in Istanbul
.
Eyüboğlu was born in 1919 in Aziziye, Erzurum
. She was the sister of well known Turkish painter
and poet
, Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu
, and Sabahattin Eyüboğlu
, an author
, academic and translator. Her father, Mehmet Rahmi, was the Governor of Trabzon and a member of parliament chosen by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
.
Her family moved to Istanbul
, where she enrolled in a regular high school, unlike many of her peers who often attended all girls colleges. After graduating from high school, Eyüboğlu was educated in fine arts at Academy of Fine Arts in Istanbul
and became an architect
in 1942. She later explained her family's commitment to education, especially for women, saying, "We grew up with Atatürk's reforms
. That was what Atatürk had indoctrinated in us. That we would finish school and serve our country."
After the academy, she began working in the small village of Hasanoğlan, Ankara Province
, where she facilitated the construction of a village institutes
. The Turkish government was working to develop the small villages and communities of Anatolia
at the time, and the village institutes were considered essential to educating its citizens. "Village institutes were an education project that targeted the whole of Anatolia. When the Turkish Republic was founded in 1923, 90 percent of the population lived in rural areas and only 3 percent of the population was literate. It was a must to educate people. So the country was divided into 21 parts and in each was built an institute that not only taught people how to read and write but also crafts like carpentry
and planting," Eyüboğlu later said in an interview.
Eyüboğlu planned new institutes and schools in villages throughout rural Turkey during the 1940s. She caught malaria
in 1947, which forced her to leave Anatolia and move back to Istanbul. The government also ended its support for the village institute program during the 1950s, which forced her to settle in Istanbul.
She began working at the Istanbul Academy of Fine Arts once she recovered from malaria. However, she soon began traveling outside Istanbul again as an excavation architect. In 1948, she met her future husband Robert Anhegger, a German
expert in Turkish studies. The couple married in 1958 using an ancient wedding ring
. "We got married in 1958, in the 10th anniversary of our friendship. He proposed to me with a ring
that was from the 4th century A.D. After my father's death, I was feeling lonely and I couldn't resist his insistence anymore."
Eyüboğlu began working as a restoration architect in Istanbul following her marriage. Her most famous restoration projects included the landmark Topkapı Palace
's harem section and Rumelihisarı
.
Eyüboğlu and Anhegger bought an apartment in Istanbul's Galata
district in 1964. She decorated her apartment with artifacts collected from throughout her travels in Anatolia. The couple remained married until Anhegger's death in 2001. She mourned the death of her husband she were together with more than 40 years, "I couldn't accept his will to be cremated. After his cremation
, I lived with his ashes in the house for a week." She continued to live at her residence following Anhegger's death. Her goal was to donate her collection to a small museum.
Mualla Eyüboğlu Anhegger died on August 16, 2009, at the age of 90. She was laid to rest at the Merkezefendi Cemetery
following the religious funeral service at Teşvikiye Mosque
.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. She is known for her restoration work on the Topkapı Palace
Topkapi Palace
The Topkapı Palace is a large palace in Istanbul, Turkey, that was the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years of their 624-year reign....
harem
Harem
Harem refers to the sphere of women in what is usually a polygynous household and their enclosed quarters which are forbidden to men...
room and the Rumelihisarı
Rumelihisari
Rumelihisarı is a fortress located in the Sarıyer district of Istanbul, Turkey, on a hill at the European side of the Bosporus. It gives the name of the quarter around it. It was built by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II between 1451 and 1452, before he conquered Constantinople...
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...
.
Eyüboğlu was born in 1919 in Aziziye, Erzurum
Ilica, Erzurum
Ilıca is a town and district of Erzurum Province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. The mayor is Fatih Cengiz ....
. She was the sister of well known Turkish painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu
Bedri Rahmi Eyüboglu
Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu was a Turkish painter and poet.Bedri Rahmi was born 1911 in Görele on the Black Sea. He was the second child of a family with five. His elder brother, Sabahattin Eyuboglu, is a well-known writer and his younger sister, Mualla Eyüboğlu, was one of the first architects working...
, and Sabahattin Eyüboğlu
Sabahattin Eyüboglu
Sabahattin Eyüboğlu was a Turkish writer, essayist, translator and film producer.- Biography :Sabahatttin Eyüboğlu was born in 1908 on the Black Sea coast town of Akçaabat near Trabzon...
, an author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, academic and translator. Her father, Mehmet Rahmi, was the Governor of Trabzon and a member of parliament chosen by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was an Ottoman and Turkish army officer, revolutionary statesman, writer, and the first President of Turkey. He is credited with being the founder of the Republic of Turkey....
.
Her family moved to 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...
, where she enrolled in a regular high school, unlike many of her peers who often attended all girls colleges. After graduating from high school, Eyüboğlu was educated in fine arts at Academy of Fine Arts in Istanbul
Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts
Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University is a Turkish state university dedicated to the higher education of fine arts. It is located in the Fındıklı neighborhood of İstanbul, Turkey.-History:...
and became an architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
in 1942. She later explained her family's commitment to education, especially for women, saying, "We grew up with Atatürk's reforms
Atatürk's Reforms
Atatürk's Reforms were a series of political, legal, cultural, social and economic reforms that were designed to modernize the new Republic of Turkey into a democratic and secular nation-state...
. That was what Atatürk had indoctrinated in us. That we would finish school and serve our country."
After the academy, she began working in the small village of Hasanoğlan, Ankara Province
Ankara Province
Ankara Province in central Turkey is the location of the country's capital, the city of Ankara.Ankara also gave its name to the Ottoman Empire's Ankara Province which covered a larger area than the current province.- Geography :...
, where she facilitated the construction of a village institutes
Village Institutes
Village Institutes is a group of co-ed, public, boarding, normal schools that were operational between 1940 and 1954 in Turkey. They were the cornerstones of the rural development project. At the time there weren't any schools in most of the villages...
. The Turkish government was working to develop the small villages and communities of Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
at the time, and the village institutes were considered essential to educating its citizens. "Village institutes were an education project that targeted the whole of Anatolia. When the Turkish Republic was founded in 1923, 90 percent of the population lived in rural areas and only 3 percent of the population was literate. It was a must to educate people. So the country was divided into 21 parts and in each was built an institute that not only taught people how to read and write but also crafts like carpentry
Carpentry
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
and planting," Eyüboğlu later said in an interview.
Eyüboğlu planned new institutes and schools in villages throughout rural Turkey during the 1940s. She caught malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
in 1947, which forced her to leave Anatolia and move back to Istanbul. The government also ended its support for the village institute program during the 1950s, which forced her to settle in Istanbul.
She began working at the Istanbul Academy of Fine Arts once she recovered from malaria. However, she soon began traveling outside Istanbul again as an excavation architect. In 1948, she met her future husband Robert Anhegger, a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
expert in Turkish studies. The couple married in 1958 using an ancient wedding ring
Wedding ring
A wedding ring or wedding band is a metal ring indicating the wearer is married. Depending on the local culture, it is worn on the base of the right or the left ring finger. The custom of wearing such a ring has spread widely beyond its origin in Europe...
. "We got married in 1958, in the 10th anniversary of our friendship. He proposed to me with a ring
Ring (jewellery)
A finger ring is a circular band worn as a type of ornamental jewelry around a finger; it is the most common current meaning of the word ring. Other types of metal bands worn as ornaments are also called rings, such as arm rings and neck rings....
that was from the 4th century A.D. After my father's death, I was feeling lonely and I couldn't resist his insistence anymore."
Eyüboğlu began working as a restoration architect in Istanbul following her marriage. Her most famous restoration projects included the landmark Topkapı Palace
Topkapi Palace
The Topkapı Palace is a large palace in Istanbul, Turkey, that was the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years of their 624-year reign....
's harem section and Rumelihisarı
Rumelihisari
Rumelihisarı is a fortress located in the Sarıyer district of Istanbul, Turkey, on a hill at the European side of the Bosporus. It gives the name of the quarter around it. It was built by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II between 1451 and 1452, before he conquered Constantinople...
.
Eyüboğlu and Anhegger bought an apartment in Istanbul's Galata
Galata
Galata or Galatae is a neighbourhood in the Beyoğlu district on the European side of Istanbul, the largest city of Turkey. Galata is located at the northern shore of the Golden Horn, the inlet which separates it from the historic peninsula of old Constantinople. The Golden Horn is crossed by...
district in 1964. She decorated her apartment with artifacts collected from throughout her travels in Anatolia. The couple remained married until Anhegger's death in 2001. She mourned the death of her husband she were together with more than 40 years, "I couldn't accept his will to be cremated. After his cremation
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
, I lived with his ashes in the house for a week." She continued to live at her residence following Anhegger's death. Her goal was to donate her collection to a small museum.
Mualla Eyüboğlu Anhegger died on August 16, 2009, at the age of 90. She was laid to rest at the Merkezefendi Cemetery
Merkezefendi Cemetery
The Merkezefendi Cemetery is a burial ground situated in Merkezefendi neighborhood of Zeytinburnu district on the European part of Istanbul, Turkey.Many renowned intellectuals, writers and artists rest in this old cemetery covering an area of ....
following the religious funeral service at Teşvikiye Mosque
Tesvikiye Mosque
The Teşvikiye Mosque is a neo-baroque structure located in the Teşvikiye neighbourhood of Şişli district in Istanbul, Turkey. It was originally commissioned in 1794 by Sultan Selim III, but most of the current mosque that stands today was completed in 1854 during the reign of Sultan Abdülmecit I...
.