Rahmizâde Bahaeddin Bediz
Encyclopedia
Rahmizâde Bahaeddin Bey was a Cretan Turk
who is generally agreed by historians to be the first Turkish
photographer by profession. He started his career in Hanya, Crete
in 1895, and went on to open photography
studios in İzmir
in 1910, in İstanbul
in 1915 where he acquired his fame, and in Ankara
after 1935 where, aside from his private business, he worked as the Chief of Photography Department in Turkish Historical Society
.
The thousands of photographs (especially portraits) he took during his career (Crete, İzmir, İstanbul, Ankara) have immense historical value.
In 1927/1928, while based in İstanbul and managing his own photographic studio (Photo Resné), he prepared for the Municipality of İzmir the booklet "Album de Smyrne", in French
and in Turkish
, a collection of İzmir photographs taken by him supplemented with explanatory texts. The album, distributed abroad through Turkey's embassies and consular offices, is notable both by being one of the first information and promotion packages prepared by the young Republic of Turkey for international readership, and also for having been one of the very last books printed in Turkey in Arabic script, coming shortly before the transition to Latin alphabet
.
He is still revered also in Crete for having been the first to capture the people and the landscapes of the island.
His son, Pertev Bediz (Peter Bediz for Canadians
) also attained prominence by becoming one of the pioneers of the geophysical industry
in Canada
.
Cretan Turks
The Cretan Turks, Turco-Cretans , or Cretan Muslims were the Muslim inhabitants of Crete and now their descendants, who settled principally in Turkey, the Levant, and Egypt as well as in the larger Turkish diaspora.After the Ottoman conquest of Crete...
who is generally agreed by historians to be the first Turkish
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
photographer by profession. He started his career in Hanya, Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
in 1895, and went on to open photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
studios in İzmir
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
in 1910, in İstanbul
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...
in 1915 where he acquired his fame, and in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
after 1935 where, aside from his private business, he worked as the Chief of Photography Department in Turkish Historical Society
Turkish Historical Society
The Turkish Historical Society also known as Turkish Historical Association or Turkish History Foundation is a research society studying the history of Turkey and the Turkish people, founded in 1931 by the initiative of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, with headquarters in Ankara, Turkey.-Presidents:The...
.
The thousands of photographs (especially portraits) he took during his career (Crete, İzmir, İstanbul, Ankara) have immense historical value.
In 1927/1928, while based in İstanbul and managing his own photographic studio (Photo Resné), he prepared for the Municipality of İzmir the booklet "Album de Smyrne", 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...
and in Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
, a collection of İzmir photographs taken by him supplemented with explanatory texts. The album, distributed abroad through Turkey's embassies and consular offices, is notable both by being one of the first information and promotion packages prepared by the young Republic of Turkey for international readership, and also for having been one of the very last books printed in Turkey in Arabic script, coming shortly before the transition to Latin alphabet
Latin alphabet
The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...
.
He is still revered also in Crete for having been the first to capture the people and the landscapes of the island.
His son, Pertev Bediz (Peter Bediz for Canadians
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
) also attained prominence by becoming one of the pioneers of the geophysical industry
Geophysics
Geophysics is the physics of the Earth and its environment in space; also the study of the Earth using quantitative physical methods. The term geophysics sometimes refers only to the geological applications: Earth's shape; its gravitational and magnetic fields; its internal structure and...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Sources
- Girit'ten İstanbul'a Bahaettin Rahmi Bediz (Bahaettin Rahmi Bediz from Crete to İstanbul) by Seyit Ali Ak, ISBN 975-05-0276-0, İletişim Yayınları, 2004, İstanbul
- Revue "İlgi" by the Turkish Historical Society