''Alem-i Nisvan'' () was a Crimean Tatar magazine oriented towards women and published from 1906 to 1912. Founded by leading Crimean Tatar intellectual and journalist

Ismail Gasprinsky Ismail bey Gasprinsky (also written as Gaspirali and Gasprinski: crh, İsmail Gaspıralı, russian: Исмаи́л Гаспри́нский ''Ismail Gasprinskii''; – ) was a Crimean Tatar intellectual, educator, publisher and Pan-Turkist pol ...

, it was under the editorship of his daughter Şefiqa Gaspıralı throughout its entire existence.

History

The concept of a Crimean Tatar magazine for women was promoted by leading intellectual and journalist leader

. Though issues corresponding to the women's community were occasionally brought up in Gasprinsky's popular '' Terciman'', Gasprinsky felt that a magazine devoted specifically to women was necessary. As a result, ''Alem-i Nisvan'' was created, with Gasprinsky's daughter, Şefiqa Gaspıralı, serving as editor, and Gasprinsky serving as publisher. Another significant person in the creation of ''Alem-i Nisvan'' was Gasprinsky's wife, Zehra Akçurina-Gaspıralı. Akçurina-Gaspıralı had previously attempted unsuccessfully to establish a female-oriented Crimean Tatar publication, called ''Terbiye'', in 1887. Gasprinsky also sought to supplement the newspaper ''Kadın'' () on a bimonthly basis, but the authorities of the Russian Empire were opposed to these endeavours until the aftermath of the

1905 Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution of 1905,. also known as the First Russian Revolution,. occurred on 22 January 1905, and was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. The mass unrest was directed again ...

, when subsequent political reforms allowed for such a magazine to be published. The purpose of the magazine was to educate Crimean Tatar women, who generally lacked education due to the social conservatism guiding Crimean Tatar society at the time. The elimination of illiteracy, growth of Crimean Tatar culture, and education of

sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

were primary goals. It published both information on the status of women under sharia and secular instructions on hygiene, housework, and sewing. There was also a section devoted to science and literature. Included in the pages of ''Alem-i Nisvan'' were biographies of famous women, stories from foreign countries, and fiction. From its 1906 founding until 1908, ''Alem-i Nisvan'' functioned as a free weekly supplement to ''Terciman''. From 1908 to 1909, it operated as an independent newspaper, before returning to ''Terciman'' in 1910. The last issue of ''Alem-i Nisvan'' was published in 1911.

Legacy

In 2011, a conference dedicated to the 105th anniversary of ''Alem-i Nisvan'''s founding was held at the . The modern Crimean Tatar women's magazine ''Arzı'' () considers itself to be a direct descendant of ''Alem-i Nisvan''.

References

{{Reflist 1906 establishments 1911 disestablishments Crimean culture Crimean society