Turkey

Famous Turkish People: Turkish Artists, Scientists, Leaders, Musicians, Politicians and Athletes

There is a category of people who changed not only Turkey, but the entire world by their thoughts and deeds, and left an eternal trace in the centuries.

:: List of Famous People from Turkey ::

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is considered the father of modern Turkey, a nation that emerged in 1923 out of the wreckage of the Ottoman Empire. As a great military leader and brilliant statesman of the 20th century, Atatürk was widely revered for the democratic political institutions that he introduced, the effective civil administration (including such services as police and fire service, and garbage collection), universal education, and the idea of the rights of individuals.

Orhan Pamuk
“Thirty-thousand Kurds were killed here, 1 million Armenians as well. And almost no one talks about it, … Therefore, I do.”

Pamuk is one of Turkey’s most prominent novelists and one of the most talented and renowned writers in today’s world of literature. His work has sold over seven million books in more than fifty languages, making him the best-selling writer of Turkey. Pamuk received all major Turkish National Prizes as well as the Nobel Prize in Literature 2006, the first Nobel Prize to be awarded to a Turkish citizen. Pamuk gained a reputation for tackling controversial issues.

Tarkan
Tarkan is a World Music award winning pop singer who has been nicknamed the “Prince Of Pop” by the media. He has released several platinum-selling albums during his career, with an estimated 15 million albums sold. Tarkan is one of the very few European artists who has managed to be successful in Russia, Latin America and across the European continent singing in his native language – as well as being a cultural icon in his homeland.

Suna Korad
Suna Korad is a very gifted Turkish soprano. She touched millions of souls with her powerful voice. Suna Korad was a source of inspiration for the Bilkent community, especially to the members of the Faculty of Music and Performing Arts. Unfortunately, she passed away in 2003. She held the title of “State Artist” in Turkey.

Piri Reis
Is primarily known as a famous Turkish sailor and the first Turkish marine cartographer. Piri Reis was both a great sea commander who was heroic and one of the most important cartographers and sailor writers of his time. The world map he charted was printed by the Turkish Historical Institution in 1935. This map was presented by Piri Reis to Yavuz Sultan Selim in Egypt in 1517.

Mimar Sinan
Sinan was the chief Ottoman architect and civil engineer for sultans Suleiman I, Selim II and Murad III. He is considered one of the greatest of the Ottoman architects. His many buildings include some of the most famous landmarks of the Turkish Empire. His masterpiece is the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, although his most famous work is the Suleiman Mosque in Istanbul. Sinan was the architect of around 360 structures which included 84 mosques, 51 small mosques (“mescit”), 57 schools of theology (“medrese”) 7 schools for Koran reciters (“darülkurra”), 22 mausoleums (“türbe”), 17 Alm Houses (“imaret”), 3 hospitals (“darüssifa”), 7 aquaducts and arches, 48 inns (“Caravansary”), 35 palaces and mansions, 8 vaults and 46 baths.

Azra Akin
Turkey is famous not only for its splendid architecture, but also for its natural beauties. Azra Akin is a Turkish model, who was crowned Miss World 2002 at the annual pageant held on December 7, 2002 at Alexandra Palace in London, England, representing Turkey.

Ayhan Sureyya
Ayhan Sureyya is regarded as one of the finest Turkish woman athletes of all time. National middle-distance athlete and world championships runner Süreyya Ayhan Kop won her first gold medal for Turkey at the European championship in Munich in 2002. At age twenty-three, she set a new world record for 1,500-meter distance running and beat the Romanian world and Olympics champion Gabriela Szabo with 3 minutes, 58.79 seconds.

Fikret Mualla
Fikret Mualia is considered one of the representatives of Turkish arts in the 20th century. He is a painter who has gained world-wide recognition. Fikret Mualla painted the cafes, the people at the cafes, the taverns, streets, circuses, places of entertainment and the life in Paris. Men Sitting, Still Life in Blue, Bistro, Cafe, French Workers at a Cafe in Marseille, Golden Horn and Süleymaniye, A Street in Paris are some of his most famous paintings.