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Mualla Eyüboğlu Anhegger (13 March 1919 – 16 August 2009) was one of the first female Turkish
architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
s. She is known for her
restoration work Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state. This may refer to: *Conservation and restoration of cultural property **Audio restoration **Conservation and restoration of immovable cultural property **Film restoration ** Image ...
on the
Topkapı Palace The Topkapı Palace (; ), or the Seraglio, is a large museum and library in the east of the Fatih List of districts of Istanbul, district of Istanbul in Turkey. From the 1460s to the completion of Dolmabahçe Palace in 1856, it served as the ad ...
harem A harem is a domestic space that is reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A harem may house a man's wife or wives, their pre-pubescent male children, unmarried daughters, female domestic Domestic worker, servants, and other un ...
room and the
Rumelihisarı Rumelihisarı (also known as Rumelian Fortress and Roumeli Hissar Fortress) or Boğazkesen Fortress (literally 'strait-cutter fortress') is a medieval Ottoman Empire, Ottoman fortress located in Istanbul, Turkey, on a series of hills on the Europ ...
in
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
.


Early life and education

Eyüboğlu was born in 1919 in Aziziye,
Sivas vilayet The Vilayet of Sivas (, ) was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire, and was one of the Six Armenian vilayets. The vilayet was bordered by Erzurum Vilayet to the east, Mamuretülaziz Vilayet to the south-east, ...
(modern-day Pınarbaşı,
Kayseri Kayseri () is a large List of cities in Turkey, city in Central Anatolia, Turkey, and the capital of Kayseri Province, Kayseri province. Historically known as Caesarea (Mazaca), Caesarea, it has been the historical capital of Cappadocia since anc ...
), in a family with five children. She was the younger sister of well known Turkish
painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...
and
poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
,
Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu (1911 – 21 September 1975) was a Turkish people, Turkish Painting, painter, mosaic-maker, muralist, writer and poet. His art work was inspired by Anatolian village scenes and folk literature, and included traditional ha ...
, and Sabahattin Eyüboğlu, an
author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...
,
academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
and
translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''trans ...
. Her father, Mehmet Rahmi later Eyüboğlu, was the Governor of Trabzon and a member of parliament chosen by
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal and revolutionary statesman who was the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first President of Turkey, president from 1923 until Death an ...
. Her family moved to
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
, where she enrolled in a regular high school, unlike many of her peers who often attended all girls colleges. After graduating from high school, Eyüboğlu was educated in
fine arts In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creativity, creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function ...
at the Academy of Fine Arts in Istanbul and became an architect in 1942. She later explained her family's commitment to education, especially for women, saying, "We grew up with
Atatürk's reforms Atatürk's reforms ( or ''Atatürk Devrimleri''), also referred to as the Turkish Revolution (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Türk Devrimi''), were a series of political, legal, religious, cultural, social, and economic policy changes, designed ...
. That was what Atatürk had indoctrinated in us. That we would finish school and serve our country." After the academy, she began working in the small village of Hasanoğlan,
Ankara Province Ankara Province (, ) is a province and metropolitan municipality of Turkey with the capital city Ankara. Its area is 25,632 km2, and its population is 5,782,285 (2022). History The site of the modern city has been home to settlements ...
, where she facilitated the construction of a
village institutes Village Institutes (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Köy Enstitüleri'') were a group of rural schools in Turkey founded in accordance with a project led by Hasan Âli Yücel, who was the Ministry of Education (Turkey), Minister of Education at the t ...
. The Turkish government was working to develop the small villages and communities of
Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
at the time, and the village institutes were considered essential to educating its citizens. Eyüboğlu later said in an interview:


Career

Eyüboğlu planned new institutes and schools in villages throughout rural Turkey during the 1940s. She caught
malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...
in 1947, which forced her to leave Anatolia and move back to Istanbul. The government also ended its support for the village institute program during the 1950s, which forced her to settle in Istanbul. She began working at the Istanbul Academy of Fine Arts once she recovered from malaria. However, she soon began traveling outside Istanbul again as an
excavation Excavation may refer to: * Archaeological excavation * Excavation (medicine) * ''Excavation'' (The Haxan Cloak album), 2013 * ''Excavation'' (Ben Monder album), 2000 * ''Excavation'' (novel), a 2000 novel by James Rollins * '' Excavation: A Mem ...
architect. In 1948, she met her future husband Robert Anhegger, a German scholar in the field of Ottoman and Turkish studies. The couple married in 1958 using an ancient
wedding ring A wedding ring or wedding band is a finger ring that indicates that its wearer is married. It is usually forged from metal, traditionally gold or another precious metal. Rings were used in ancient Rome during marriage. In western culture, a ...
.
We got married in 1958, in the 10th anniversary of our friendship. He proposed to me with a
ring (The) Ring(s) may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV * ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...
that was from the 4th century A.D. After my father's death, I was feeling lonely and I couldn't resist his insistence anymore.
Eyüboğlu began working as a restoration architect in Istanbul following her marriage. Her most famous restoration projects included the landmark
Topkapı Palace The Topkapı Palace (; ), or the Seraglio, is a large museum and library in the east of the Fatih List of districts of Istanbul, district of Istanbul in Turkey. From the 1460s to the completion of Dolmabahçe Palace in 1856, it served as the ad ...
's
harem A harem is a domestic space that is reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A harem may house a man's wife or wives, their pre-pubescent male children, unmarried daughters, female domestic Domestic worker, servants, and other un ...
section and
Rumelihisarı Rumelihisarı (also known as Rumelian Fortress and Roumeli Hissar Fortress) or Boğazkesen Fortress (literally 'strait-cutter fortress') is a medieval Ottoman Empire, Ottoman fortress located in Istanbul, Turkey, on a series of hills on the Europ ...
. In 2008 she was given a special jury award for in the Achievement Award for special contribution in architecture at the Turkish National Architecture Awards in Ankara. Eyüboğlu and Anhegger bought an apartment in a legendary building in Istanbul's
Galata Galata is the former name of the Karaköy neighbourhood in Istanbul, which is located at the northern shore of the Golden Horn. The district is connected to the historic Fatih district by several bridges that cross the Golden Horn, most nota ...
district in 1964. She decorated her apartment with artifacts collected from throughout her travels in Anatolia. The couple remained married until Anhegger's death in 2001. She mourned the death of her husband, with whom she had been together for more than 40 years, "I couldn't accept his will to be cremated. After his
cremation Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...
, I lived with his ashes in the house for a week." She continued to live at her residence following Anhegger's death. Her goal was to donate her collection to a small museum. Unfortunately her wish was not realized, as her heirs sold the entire contents of that magical apartment to the highest bidder. Mualla Eyüboğlu Anhegger died on August 16, 2009, at the age of 90. She was laid to rest at the
Merkezefendi Cemetery The Merkezefendi Cemetery () is a burial ground situated in Merkezefendi neighborhood of Zeytinburnu district on the European part of Istanbul, Turkey. The neighborhood and the cemetery are named after Merkez Efendi, an Ottoman Islamic scholar ...
following the religious funeral service at
Teşvikiye Mosque The Teşvikiye Mosque () is a neo-baroque structure located in the Teşvikiye neighbourhood of Şişli district in Istanbul, Turkey. History The mosque was originally commissioned in 1794 by Sultan Selim III, but most of the current mosque t ...
.


Commemoration

Eyüboğlu was celebrated in an exhibition ''Cumhuriyet Kadınları Sahneye Çıkıyor: Cevval, Akılcı, Dirençli, Sabırlı ve İnançlı'', (Republican Women Take to the Stage: Brave, Rational, Resistant, Patient and Faithful) organised at
Goethe-Institut The Goethe-Institut (; GI, ''Goethe Institute'') is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit German culture, cultural organization operational worldwide with more than 150 cultural centres, promoting the study of the German language abroad and en ...
Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...
from 5 December 2023 to 4 February 2024 in honour of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey and the 90th anniversary of Turkish women gaining the right to vote. It showcased the lives and careers of six women who were educated in the young Turkish Republic and the
Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...
and whose careers made an impact on the world. Alongside Eyüboğlu the exhibition featured archaeologist
Halet Çambel Halet Çambel (27 August 1916 – 12 January 2014) was a Turkish archaeologist and Olympic fencer. She was the first woman with a Muslim background to compete in the Olympic Games. Biography Çambel was born in Berlin, German Empire on 27 ...
, computer scientist Marianne Laqueur,
Semiha Berksoy Semiha Berksoy (24 May 1910 – 15 August 2004) was a Turkish opera singer and painter. Early life Semiha Berksoy was born in Çengelköy, Istanbul on 25 May 1910. Her mother was a painter, her father a poet and accountant. Semiha Berksoy stu ...
, Turkey's first Muslim opera singer, paediatrician Erna Eckstein Schlossmann and architect
Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky Margarete "Grete" Schütte-Lihotzky ( Lihotzky; 23 January 1897 – 18 January 2000) was an Austrian architect and a communist activist in the Austrian resistance to Nazism. She is mostly remembered today for designing what is known as the Fran ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eyuboglu, Mualla 1919 births 2009 deaths 20th-century Turkish architects Mualla Burials at Merkezefendi Cemetery Academy of Fine Arts in Istanbul alumni Turkish expatriates in the Netherlands Turkish women in business 20th-century Turkish businesspeople Conservator-restorers Women architects People from Pınarbaşı, Kayseri