13.03.2026 16:00
Historian and author Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı, who had been receiving treatment in intensive care for a while and was intubated today, has passed away at the age of 79.
Due to health issues, historian and author Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı, who had been receiving treatment in intensive care at a private hospital for some time, passed away at the age of 79 after being intubated as his condition worsened.
FATİH ALTAYLI AND HIS FAMILY HAD REQUESTED PRAYERS In a statement made by Ortaylı's family on social media yesterday, it was mentioned that his condition was being closely monitored, stating, "İlber Ortaylı has been receiving treatment in intensive care for five days. His condition is stable. He is being closely monitored by a very good team with great care. We hope your good wishes and prayers will be helpful."
Journalist Fatih Altaylı, noting that history professor İlber Ortaylı was experiencing serious health issues, had requested prayers. Fatih Altaylı stated, "If you believe, do not withhold your prayers; if you do not believe, do not withhold your good wishes from him."
WHO IS İLBER ORTAYLI? He was born in 1947 in Bregenz, Austria. He completed his primary and secondary education in Istanbul and Ankara. He graduated from Ankara Atatürk High School in 1965. In 1968, he graduated from the Faculty of Political Sciences and the Department of History at the Faculty of Language and History-Geography at Ankara University. Later, he studied Slavic and Oriental studies at the University of Vienna.
He completed his master's studies at the University of Chicago with Prof. Halil İnalcık. In 1978, he received his doctorate degree from the Faculty of Political Sciences at Ankara University with his thesis titled "Local Administrations After the Tanzimat." In 1979, he became an associate professor with his work titled "German Influence in the Ottoman Empire," and in 1989, he became a professor. He has served as a visiting faculty member at universities in Vienna, Berlin, Paris, Princeton, Moscow, Rome, Munich, Strasbourg, Ioannina, Sofia, Kiel, Cambridge, Oxford, and Tunis, giving seminars and conferences. He has published articles related to Ottoman history from the 16th to the 19th century and Russian history in both domestic and foreign scientific journals.
Between 1989 and 2002, he served as the Head of the Department of Administrative History at the Faculty of Political Sciences, and in 2002, he moved to Galatasaray University, and two years later to Bilkent University. In 2005, he was appointed as the Director of the Topkapi Palace. He still holds this position. He is currently also teaching history courses at Galatasaray University. İlber Ortaylı is also a board member of the International Ottoman Studies Committee and a member of the European Society of Iranian Studies. He speaks Turkish, Ottoman Turkish, Crimean Tatar, Arabic, Persian, German, French, Italian, Latin, Greek, Russian, Slovak, Romanian, Serbian, Croatian, and Bosnian.
Some of his publications are as follows:
In the Footsteps of History, Profil Publishing, Istanbul, 2008. History of Organization and Administration in Turkey, Cedit Publishing, Ankara, 2007. Rediscovering the Ottomans: Ottomans in Three Continents, Timas Publishing, Istanbul, 2007. Local Government Tradition from Tanzimat to the Republic, Hil, Istanbul, 1985. The Longest Century of the Empire, Hil, Istanbul, 1983. German Population in the Ottoman Empire, Kaynak Publishing, Istanbul, 1983. From Tradition to Future, Hil, Istanbul, 1982. History of Administration in Turkey, TODAIE No. 180, Ankara, 1979. With İlhan Tekeli, The Evolution of Municipalism in Turkey, Turkish Administrators Association, 1978.