İsmet Binark

Researcher and writer (b. 28 February 1941, İstanbul).  Full name Mehmet İsmet Binark. He attended the Nişancı Mehmet Paşa Elementary School, the Yenimahalle Secondary School, the Gazi High School, and graduated from Ankara University, Faculty of Language, History and Geography, Department of Library-keeping (1963). He completed his master studies at the same department with the thesis "Fatih Devri Kitap Tezhibleri ve Ciltleri" (Book Ornaments and Bindings at the Time of Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror). During his years at the university, he worked at the Ministry of Finance, the State Institute of Statistics and at the National Library after 1967. He became the general director at the State Archives of the Prime Ministry (1992-1997). He was retired from the counsellorship of Prime Ministry in 1998 on his own request. He lectured on archive managing at the Hacettepe University and Gazi University.

He gained fame with his bibliographical works on library management, culture and arts. He wrote some articles of Türk Dili ve Edebiyatı Ansiklopedisi (The Encyclopedia of Turkish Language and Literature). He went to Britain and Finland for training on library and archive management. Besides, he conducted researches at the British Library, the Public Records Office, the School of Oriental Studies Library and Finnish National Library on Turkish cultural history and institutions.

His first article was published in the review of Türk Kütüphaneciler Derneği (The Turkish Society of Librarians) in 1964. His articles were published in various reviews at home and abroad, such as Önasya, Türk Yurdu, Kubbealtı, Türk Kütüphaneciler Derneği, Vakıf and Millî Kültür. He received the first rank at the Emily Dean Awards with his graduation thesis. He was given a thanksgiving plaquette by the Ankara Hearth of Intellectuals in 1998 for his eminent services to Turkish culture and nationalism, and received the Osman Turan Gift of the Turkish Hearth. He also collected the Turkish Association of Authors Book Award in 1999, a honorary doctorate in Macedonia and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. He was awarded several times for his contributions to Turkish archival works, cultural life and the Turkish world in general by various organizations such as the Turkish Hearth, the Society for Azerbaijani-Turkish Friendship, the Eurasia-United Foundation, the Foundation of Studies on the Turkish World, the Society of Western Thrace Turks, the Foundation of Turkish Literature, the İstanbul Conquest Society, the Kubbealtı Academy of Culture and Arts, and the Presidency of the Turkish Grand National Assembly.

İsmet Binark, when he was the director of the State Archives, brought back the copies of the Ottoman archival documents which had been sold to Bulgaria in 1931 for 13 grouches per kilo, prepared and published their catalogues. Besides, he resumed the copies of some inventories and document groups belonging to local administrative units of the Ottoman Empire in Macedonia between the 16th and 19th centuries.

He led the publication of archival documents about the Turkish world and Turkish existence, and made bibliographic publications. Besides, publication of the facsimiles and transcribed texts of the Ottoman orders and inventories in the Ottoman archives, and catalogues and the guidance of the Ottoman archives were all carried out under his supervision. On the other hand, he was the initiator of the Republican Archive under Prime Ministry, being its founder president. Such activities of him brought prestige to the Turkish archive-managing at home and abroad. Some of his works were translated into other languages. He was a member of the Ankara Hearth of Intellectuals, the Turkish Hearth, the Association of Turkish Librarians, the Altay Foundation, and the Institute of the Research on Turkish Culture.

WORKS:

Türk Cilt Sanatı (Turkish Art of Book-binding, 1968), Türk İslâm Kültür ve Medeniyet Tarihi Bibliyografyası (The Bibliography of Turkish-Islamic History of Culture and Civilization, 1969), Ömer Seyfettin Bibliyografyası (A Bibliography of Ömer Seyfettin, in collaboration with N. Sefercioğlu, 1970), Yunus Emre Hakkında Bir Bibliyografya Denemesi (An Essay of Bibliography on Yunus Emre, in collaboration with N. Sefercioğlu, 1970), Ziya Gökâlp Bibliyografyası (A Bibliography of Ziya Gökalp, in collaboration with N. Seferciğlu, 1971), Selçuklu Tarihi, Alpaslan ve Malazgirt Bibliyografyası (A Bibliography of the Saljukian History, Alparslan and Malazgirt, 1971), Farabi Bibliyografyası (A Bibliography of al-Farabi, 1973), Mevlânâ Bibliyografyası (A Bibliography of Mevlana, in collaboration with M. Önder and N. Sefercioğlu, 1973-74), Fevziye Abdullah Tansel Bibliyografyası (A Bibliography of Fevziye Abdullah Tansel, in collaboration with N. Sefercioğlu, 1975), Eski Kitapçılık Sanatlarımız (Our Old Arts of Book-publishing, 1975), İstanbul, Fatih, Fetih ve Fatih Devri Hakkında Yazılmış Kitaplar Bibliyografyası (A Bibliography of the Books Written on İstanbul, the Conqueror, the Conquest, and the Age of the Conqueror, 1977), Arşiv ve Arşivcilik Bibliyografyası (A Bibliography of Archive and Archival Studies, sources published in Turkish and other languages, 1979), Arşiv ve Arşivcilik Bilgileri (Knowledge of Archives and Archive-Managing, 1980), Ottoman Archives (A Guidance to the Ottoman Archives under the Prime Ministry, 1986), Türk Arşivlerinin Kısa Tarihçesi ve Devlet Arşivleri Genel Müdürlüğü'nün Faaliyetleri (A Brief History of the Turkish Archives and Activities of the Directorate General of the State Archives, 1994), Balkan Ülkelerinin Tarihi Kaynakları Bakımından Başbakanlık Osmanlı Arşivi'nin Önemi (Importance of the Ottoman Archives under the Prime Ministry in Providing Sources for the History of the Balkan States, 1996), Yemen Tarihinin Kaynakları Bakımından Başbakanlık Osmanlı Arşivi'nin Önemi (Importance of the Ottoman Archives under the Prime Ministry in Providing Sources for the History of Yemen, 1996), Mısır Tarihinin Kaynakları Bakımından Başbakanlık Osmanlı Arşivi'nin Önemi (Importance of the Ottoman Archives under the Prime Ministry in Providing Sources for the History of Egypt, 1997), Hırvatistan'ın Tarihi Kaynakları Bakımından Başbakanlık Osmanlı Arşivi'nin Önemi (Importance of the Ottoman Archives under the Prime Ministry in Providing Sources for the History of Croatia, 1997), Türk - Yunan Münasebetlerinin Dünü ve Bugünü (Past and Present of the Turkish-Greek Relationships, 1998), Ermenilerin Asılsız Soykırım İddialarına Cevap (An Answer to the Unfounded Armenian Claims of Genocide, 1998), Samiha Ayverdi Bibliyografyası (A Bibliography of Samiha Ayverdi, 1999), Ekrem Hakkı Ayverdi Bibliyografyası (A Bibliography of Ekrem Hakkı Ayverdi, 1999), Dr. Emin Bilgiç Bibliyografyası (A Bibliography of Dr. Emin Bilgiç, 2000), Asılsız Ermeni İddiaları ve Ermenilerin Türklere Yaptıkları Mezâlim (Unfounded Armenian Allegations and the Atrocities That Had Been Perpetrated towards Turks by the Armenians, 2001), Ermenilerin Türkler'e Yaptıkları Mezâlim ve Soykırımın Arşiv Belgeleri (Archival Documents of the Genocide and Atrocities by the Armenians on Turks, 2001, English edition published the same year), Samiha Ayverdi'nin Mektupları (Letters of Samiha Ayverdi, her life, works, letters she received, 2002), Meclis-i Mebusân/Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi/Millî Egemenlik/Anayasa ve Anayasa Hukuku (The Assembly of Deputies / the Turkish Grand National Assembly / National Sovereignty / the Constitution and the Constitutional Law, 2002), Archive Documents About the Atrocities (2002), Unfounded Armenian Allegations and the Atrocities That Had Been Perpetrated Towards Turks by the Armenians: Brought to Light with Archival Documents  and Photos of the Facts (2002), Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi Başkanları ve Meclis Konuşmaları (Presidents of the Turkish Grand National Assembly and Their Speeches at the Assembly, 2002), T.B.M.M. VI. Dönem Türk Parlamento Tarihi, 1939-1943 (The History of the Turkish Grand National Assembly 6th Term Turkish Parliament, 2004).

REFERENCE: Cahit Öztelli (Türk Folklor Araştırmaları, Ağustos 1970), Türk Dili ve Edebiyatı Ansiklopedisi (1977), Mehmet Aksoy (Hisar, Aralık 1977), Atilla Özkırımlı / Türk Edebiyatı Ansiklopedisi (1982), Günümüz Türkiyesinde Kim Kimdir (1990), Ayça Atikoğlu / Milliyet (19.8.1997), Ahmet Kabaklı (Türkiye gazetesi, 3.9.1997), Taha Kıvanç (Zaman gazetesi, 5.9.1997), Hasan Pulur / Milliyet (26.11.1997), Hidayet Nuhoğlu (Türk Edebiyatı, Mayıs 2000), Ali Birinci (Dergâh dergisi, Nisan 2000), İhsan Işık / Yazarlar Sözlüğü (1990, 1998) - Türkiye Yazarlar Ansiklopedisi (2001, 2004) – Encyclopedia of Turkish Authors (2005) - Resimli ve Metin Örnekli Türkiye Edebiyatçılar ve Kültür Adamları Ansiklopedisi (2006, gen. 2. bas. 2007) – Ünlü Bilim Adamları (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 2, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013), Cemal A. Kalyoncu / Arşivlik Hayat (Aksiyon 12 Mayıs 2001), Seda Devran (Kitap-Haber dergisi, Şubat-Mart 2003).