Ármin Vambéry as a researcher of Turkish history and culture

Turkish history and culture have been the center of attention of many European travelers and researchers in different periods of history. Ármin Vambéry, who admired Turkish language and culture since his youth, is one of them. In this context, the paths of Ármin Vambéry and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, which sought its ethnic roots within Turkish history and culture, intersects. As During the 19th century, when national consciousness was at the forefront, Hungarians living in the east of Europe believed that they would find traces of their ethnic roots in Turkistan. Ármin Vambéry was sent first to Istanbul and then to Turkestan to conduct research in pursuit of this goal of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. During this six-year journey, thanks to his work that he assumed the identity of Reşid Efendi, he returned to Hungary, which he referred to as his home, enriched with extensive knowledge about Turkish history and culture.He not only documented his observations and research findings on Turkish history and culture in his travelogue "Travels in Central Asia" but also deepened his research on Turks and Hungarians from 1865 onwards.Until the end of his life, as a Turcologist, he wrote many works that contributed to Turkish history and especially Turkish culture. In addition, his interest in diplomacy paved the way for him to become an influential figure in British-Ottoman diplomacy. Due to his activities in this process, he was sometimes referred to as a "spy" and at other times as a "mediator."In this context, the label of "spy" attached in front of his name caused his lifelong work in Turkology to be ignored or to remain in the background. Within this framework, our research will first attempt to illuminate the mysterious life story of Ármin Vambéry, starting from his early childhood years. Subsequently, within the scope of the main theme of our research, his works on Turkish History and Turkish culture will be analyzed from an analytical perspective.