Travel writer (b. 1950, İstanbul). He graduated from
Kadıköy College of Education and İstanbul Technical University, Department of
Mines (1972). He continued his education in the same field at New York Colombia
University with the Henry Krumb scholarship and he became a mining engineer
(1973) and studied as an assistant at İstanbul Technical University, Faculty of
Mines. He completed his doctorate in 1978. With the scholarship of DAAD, which
he received from the German Government, he traveled to many countries including
Hungary, Andorra, Botswana, Belize, the Maldives and the Seychelles and wrote
articles from his observations. He became the editor of the book called “Coal”, which was prepared in English
and in whose preface many country’s presidents wrote (The book took its place
in the Guinness Books of Record with this special feature). He worked as a
consultant and manager on four research projects, one of which was supported by
the Scientific and Technical Research Association of Turkey. He taught
statistics in English at Yeditepe University for a term. He was the Head
Assistant of İstanbul Technical University, Department of Mines. In 2003 he was
appointed the Assistant Honorary Consul to Ghana and in the following year he
was appointed as the Honorary Consul General to the Republic of Benin. He
speaks English, German and Italian.
Kural, who has shown at thirty-six individual and two
mixed photograph exhibitions in various countries, has been a guests on almost
four hundred television and radio programs in Turkey and abroad. He has taken
part in almost one hundred and fifty discussions, book signings and slide shows
on travel and travel literature at various foundations. He has been involved in
almost two thousand five hundred conferences with Esin Avşar, Nasuh Mahruki,
Leyla Tekül and Füsun Önal. Kural has also prepared and presented environmental
programs on television channels such as Abbas Yolcu (Traveller Abbas),
which was a travel program, Açık Radio, Kent Radio, Yapı Radio, Radio Çağ,
Turkish Radio and Television, İstanbul Radio and Radio Kosmos. He has also been
a columnist for the newspapers Kulvar,
İTO, Metro, Ekonomik Çözüm, İdealist, Üsküdar, Tercüman and Beşiktaş. He has published articles on travel in the publications Hürriyet, Art Decor, Çepeçevre, and Ekonomik
Bülten and Aktüel Life. He is a member of the
Turkish National Committee, the International Society of Turba, the Foundation
of İstanbul Technical University, the İstanbul Association of Amateur
Photographers and Cinematographers, the Green Crescent and the Association of
Travelers Clubs (founder member).
WORKS
TRAVEL LITERATURE: Büyük
Dünyada Küçük Adamlar (Little Men in The Big World, 1993), Dünya Döndükçe İnsan Gezdikçe (As the
World Turns, Man Travels, 1995), Yol
Çağrısı (Invitation To the Road, 2001), Ve
Sekiz Oldu (And it is Seven, 2002).
MEMOIR: Anılar (Memories, 2000), Bu Kitap Başka, Sefername (This Book is Different, Travel Book, two volumes, editor: Orhan Kural).
REFERENCE: Milliyet (16.6.1995), Hürriyet (20.9.1995-1.6.1997-28.10.1998 -17.1.1999), Yeni Yüzyıl (sayı: 912, Haziran 1997), Zaman (26.7.1996), Mustafa Balbay / Prof. Dr. Orhan Kural (Cumhuriyet gazetesi, 17.11.1997), Bekir Coşkun /, Bugün Keyfim Yok (Hürriyet, 19.11.1997), Salim Alpaslan / Eşkıya Hükümdar Oldu (Radikal, 17.11.1997), Mıgırdiç Margosyan / Üzerinize Vazife Olmayan İşlere Karışın (Yeni Yüzyıl gazetesi, 26.11.1997), Türkiye (12.9.1998), Akşam (10.2.1999), Vecdi Erbay / Orhan Kural ile Yollarda (Virgül, sayı: 19, Mayıs 1999), Bedri Baykam / Magandalarla Orhan Kural Gibi Mücadele Etmek (Aydınlık Gazetesi, 26.9.1999), Sabah (30.12.1999-24.5.2002), Ve Sekiz Oldu (Radikal Kitap, 20.6.2002), İhsan Işık / Türkiye Yazarlar Ansiklopedisi (2004) – Encyclopedia of Turkish Authors (2005) - Resimli ve Metin Örnekli Türkiye Edebiyatçılar ve Kültür Adamları Ansiklopedisi (2006, gen. 2. bas. 2007), Prof. Dr. Orhan Kural, Koronavirüs'e yenik düştü (t24.com.tr, 23 Aralık 2020), Prof. Dr. Orhan Kural kimdir, ölüm nedeni belli oldu mu? (cnnturk.com, 23.12.2020).