Ord. Prof. Dr. A. Süheyl Ünver's contributions to the historiography of traditional Turkish arts: His notebooks on Necmeddin Okyay

This study focuses on Ord. Prof. Dr. A. Süheyl Ünver's contributions to the historiography of traditional Turkish arts through his archive. In this context, his notebooks and folders concerning the polymath calligrapher Necmeddin Okyay preserved at the Süleymaniye Library Süheyl Ünver Archive are examined. Süheyl Ünver was a versatile man of science, art and philosophy. He has been of great service for the continuity of the traditional Turkish arts. Thousands of notebooks and hundreds of thousands of notes are a crucial part of his archive. The Süheyl Ünver Archive is dispersed among various people and institutions. His notes on the history of Turkish art are protected at the Ord. Prof. Dr. A. Süheyl Ünver Research Center at Süleymaniye Library. Archive has not been studied so far by means of its importance for the historiography of Turkish arts. This study is an attempt to fill the gap in the specified area. Therefore, Süheyl Ünver's life, his educational activities and publications on Turkish art are examined. Necmeddin Okyay notebooks and folders are studied as a sample in the context of Ünver's contribution to the historiography of traditional Turkish arts. Archival documents are used as the primary source for the thesis. Three notebooks and five folders are identified on Necmeddin Okyay and have been examined fully. These documents mainly consist of notes taken by Süheyl Ünver during conversations with Necmeddin Okyay and provide with valuable information on traditional Turkish arts, especially the art of calligraphy.