Mehâsin
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''Mehâsin'' (Ottoman Turkish: ''Virtues'') was a monthly women's magazine which was published in the Ottoman Empire between 1908 and 1909. It was one of the publications started in the aftermath of the
Young Turk Revolution The Young Turk Revolution (July 1908) was a constitutionalist revolution in the Ottoman Empire. The Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), an organization of the Young Turks movement, forced Sultan Abdul Hamid II to restore the Ottoman Constit ...
and was subtitled as ''Hanımlara Mahsus'' (Ottoman Turkish: ''For Women''). It is known for being the first color women's magazine in the Empire.


History and profile

The first issue of ''Mehâsin'' appeared on 14 September 1908. Its founders and directors were Asaf Muammer and Mehmed Rauf. The magazine came out monthly and was headquartered in Istanbul. In the inner cover Abdülhak Hamid's statement about women was published in each issue: "Bir milletin nisvanı derece-i terakkisinin mizanıdır.” (Ottoman Turkish: A nation's women are the measure of its modernity.). Following its seventh issue ''Mehâsin'' temporarily ceased publication for three months due to low sales. The magazine folded on 25 November 1909 and produced twelve issues during its lifetime.


Contributors

Both women and men published articles in ''Mehâsin''. Its female contributors included Emine Semiyye, Münevver Asım, Fatma Sabiha, Fatma Aliye, Fatma Münire, Şukufe Nihal, Halide Salih, Mediha Hesna, Münire Hanım, Muhsine Hanım, Zühre Hanım and Hayriye Melek Hurç.
Tevfik Fikret Tevfik Fikret ( ota, توفیق فكرت) was the pseudonym of Mehmed Tevfik (December 24, 1867 – August 19, 1915), an Ottoman-Turkish educator and poet, who is considered the founder of the modern school of Turkish poetry. Biography Fam ...
,
Faik Ali Ozansoy Faik Ali Ozansoy (10 March 1876 – 1 October 1950) was a Turkish politician, poet, and educator. He was the younger brother of Süleyman Nazif, an eminent man of letters and prominent member of the Committee for Union and Progress. Faik Ali was ...
, Hüseyin Suat Yalçın,
Süleyman Nazif Süleyman Nazif ( ota, سلیمان نظیف;‎ 29 January 1870 – 4 January 1927) was a Turkish people, Turkish poet and a prominent member of the Committee of Union and Progress, CUP. He mastered Arabic language, Arabic, Persian language, ...
, Fazıl Ahmet Aykaç,
Halid Ziya Uşaklıgil Halid Ziya Uşaklıgil (also spelled Halit and Uşakizâde) (; 1866 – 27 March 1945) was a Turkish author, poet, and playwright. A part of the ''Edebiyat-ı Cedide'' ("New Literature") movement of the late Ottoman Empire, he was the founder o ...
,
Hüseyin Cahit Yalçın Hüseyin Cahit Yalçın (7 December 1874 – 18 October 1957) was a prominent Turkish theorist, writer and politician. He is famous for being a dissident journalist, who has been put on trial and punished due to his columns. His publications defe ...
, Cenap Şahabettin and Celal Sahir also published articles in the magazine.


Target audience and content

''Mehâsin'' addressed not all Ottoman women, but only upper class educated women. It covered articles on fashion in Europe, arts, and music in addition to women's issues. In contrast to other women's periodicals such as '' Demet'' ''Mehâsin'' featured more articles on women, social and political issues. Some of the ''Mehâsin'' contributors even suggested that women could obtain their rights only by fighting. Therefore, it disseminated feminist views. Halit Ziya's novel ''Ferdi ve Şürekası'' (Ottoman Turkish: ''Ferdi and His associates'') was serialized in the magazine. It employed photographs produced by Western periodicals.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mehasin 1908 establishments in the Ottoman Empire 1909 disestablishments in the Ottoman Empire Defunct magazines published in Istanbul Defunct Turkish-language magazines Defunct women's magazines published in the Ottoman Empire Defunct women's fashion magazines Magazines established in 1908 Magazines disestablished in 1909 Monthly magazines published in Turkey