Writer and thinker
(b. 1899, Kabaktepe / Kozan / Adana – d. 3 April 1954, Adana). First he
attended Kazan Local Primary School and then Yadigar-ı Terakki Primary School
in Thessalonica. He attended İstanbul Mercan Secondary School and İzmir High
School. After graduating from İstanbul Teacher Training School, he studied
archeology in Paris (1926-31). He worked at İstanbul Archeology Museum after
returning to the city and carried out excavations.
He
became a professor at Ankara University, Faculty of Language, History and
Geography, Department of Archeology in 1939. He gave lectures on the History of
Islamic Arts at the Faculty of Theology. He was one of those who were arrested
in 1944. He took an active interest in politics and he was chosen as the Seyhan
parliamentary deputy for the Democrat Party in 1950. After a while, he left the
Democrat Party and founded the Turkish Villagers Party; however, he died at a
plane crash when he was the leader of the party. He was one of the forerunners
of nationalism and had different points of view to those of Ziya Gökalp’s.
After 1930, he wrote for magazines such as Türk Sözü (1930-32), Oluş, Gurbet, İleri Yurt, Şafak, Dönüm (1936), Çığır (1939-41), Millet (1942-44), Bizim Türkiye and Hareket (1948).
WORKS:
THOUGHT: Köy
Kadını – Memleket Parçaları (Village Woman – Parts of
the Country, 1944), İdeal ve İdeoloji (Ideal and Ideology,
1947), Coğrafyadan Vatana (From Geography to the Homeland,
1956), Türk İnkılabı ve Milliyetçiliğimiz (The Turkish
Revolution and Our Nationalism, 1958), Gurbet- İnmeyen Bayrak (Away
from Home- The Flag Flying Forever, 1968), Türk Gençliğine (To
the Turkish Youth, 1968), Milliyetçilik (Nationalism, together
with İdeal ve İdeoloji-Ideal and Ideology, Coğrafyadan
Vatana-From Geography to the Homeland, Türk İnkılabı be
Milliyetçiliğimiz - The Turkish Revolution and Our Nationalism, 1974), Meseleler (Issues,
together with Gurbet-İnmeyen Bayrak-Away from Home, The Flag Flying
Forever, Türk Gençliğine-To the Turkish Youth, Köy Kadını-Village
Woman, 1974).
RESEARCH: Alacahöyük Hafriyatı (The Alacahöyük Excavation, 1937), Karacaoğlan Kazıları (The Karacaoğlan Excavations, 1938), Ankara-Konya- Eskişehir Yazılıkaya Gezileri (Travels to Ankara- Konya- Eskişehir Yazılıkaya, 1956), Türk Müzeciliğine Bir Bakış (A View on Turkish Museums, 1956), Türk Sanatı (Turkish Arts, 1976), Kızılderililer ve Türkler- Bir Tarihin, Bir Dramın Hikâyesi (Red Indians and the Turks- A Tale of a History and a Drama, 1999).