Takvim-i Vekayi as a source for historical studies

Newspapers are like memoirs that keep the records of the experiences of nations and states. Thus studying on newspapers of the past times is not translating or transferring their texts into today's language. Besides, studies on the area of press history reflect the reactions of nations and states to the events they lived, and help understand the thoughts and opinions of the time. Takvim-i Vekayi is the first newspaper officially published by the Ottoman Empire. Although it was published once a week initially, its frequency later became irregular. The first issue appeared on November 1st, 1831, and although its publication was interrupted twice during the rule of Abdülhamid II, the newspaper continued to circulate until November 4th, 1922. It signifies the beginning of Turkish periodicals, and as it was the government's paper, it reflected the official point of view. Takvim-i Vekayi reported news not only concerning of the Ottoman dynasty, appointments to government positions or any developments taking place throughout the country, but also of political developments in foreign countries and their relations with the Ottoman Empire, as well as social, scientific and technological developments taking place across the world. The paper is also important because it played a crucial role for the printing business that would intensify after 1860's. Due to the aforementioned qualities of Takvim-i Vekayi, this study aims to facilitate the use of the newspaper in academic studies in a more efficient way and thus help researchers to research in a quicker fashion. The reports of the newspaper were classified by subjects and then sorted chronologically with their summaries. Each summary is given an endnote indicating the issue date, the issue number, and the page number of the coverage. Key Words: First Newspaper, Newspaper, Takvim-i Vekayi, Press History, 19th Century, Press and Journalism in the Ottoman Empire