{"id":9386,"date":"2025-10-01T06:29:30","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T06:29:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bibliopera.org\/?p=9386"},"modified":"2025-10-01T06:29:06","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T06:29:06","slug":"arif-hikmet-koyunoglu-collection-the-studio-of-an-adventurous-architect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bibliopera.org\/en\/arif-hikmet-koyunoglu-collection-the-studio-of-an-adventurous-architect\/","title":{"rendered":"Arif Hikmet Koyuno\u011flu Photography Collection: The Photography Studio of an Adventurous Architect"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The Suna and \u0130nan K\u0131ra\u00e7 Foundation Arif Hikmet Koyuno\u011flu Photography Collection, preserved at the Istanbul Research Institute archives, is a rich visual resource that opens a window onto the life and interests of an architect. Initially comprising 391 glass negatives, 58 negatives, 14 photographs, and 1 diapositive\u2014a total of 464 archival items\u2014the collection documents not only Koyuno\u011flu\u2019s architectural work, but also details of his military years, travels, daily life, and professional observations.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Self-portrait of Arif Hikmet Koyuno\u011flu, Ankara, early 1920s. Suna and \u0130nan K\u0131ra\u00e7 Founrdation (SVIKV) Arif Hikmet Koyuno\u011flu Photography Collection, AHK_000193<\/strong><\/p>

Born in Istanbul in 1893 into a distinguished Ottoman family, Arif Hikmet Koyuno\u011flu was the grandson of Abdullah Refet Bey, a progressive scholar, orator, and poet. His father, \u0130smet Bey, served as the Qadi of Gebze, while his mother, Fatma Virditer Han\u0131m, was raised in the imperial palace. From an early age, he developed a keen interest in art and photography; the black box he spotted in a stationery shop window in Beyaz\u0131t became his first camera. He took private painting lessons from Hoca Ali R\u0131za, whom he met through Osman Hamdi Bey, and later won first place in the entrance exam for the Department of Architecture at the Imperial School of Fine Arts (San\u00e2yi-i Nef\u00eese Mektebi). During his studies, he apprenticed at the renowned Phebus Photography Studio, worked as Giulio Mongeri\u2019s assistant, and traveled across Anatolian cities to survey and photograph architectural monuments. He volunteered in the Balkan War, never parting from his camera despite the hardships of the front. In the First World War, he was sent to the Caucasian Front, once again documenting Anatolia\u2019s architectural heritage on glass negatives under difficult conditions. In 1919, he married M\u00fcbeccel Han\u0131m in Erzurum, and later returned with his family to occupied Istanbul. In 1920, he opened the \u201cUnderground Photography Studio\u201d on B\u00e2b\u0131\u00e2li Street, one of the most innovative studios of the period. At the same time, he worked as a photojournalist for the newspaper \u0130leri<\/em>. The weapons of the National Struggle were hidden in his studio, and the tensions he experienced with occupying soldiers became some of the most adventurous episodes of his life.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Skiing recreation during military service, Sar\u0131kam\u0131\u015f, First World War. Suna and \u0130nan K\u0131ra\u00e7 Founrdation (SVIKV) Arif Hikmet Koyuno\u011flu Photography Collection, AHK_000220<\/strong><\/p>

Although Koyuno\u011flu is best known as the architect of the Ethnography Museum in Ankara, the collection reveals his multifaceted personality. His photographs capture not only architecture and landscapes but also scenes from everyday life of the period.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Sultan Ahmed Mosque from the direction of the Hippodrome, Istanbul. Suna and \u0130nan K\u0131ra\u00e7 Founrdation (SVIKV) Arif Hikmet Koyuno\u011flu Photography Collection, AHK_000412<\/strong><\/p>

From this body of material, the exhibition \u201cThe Photography Studio of an Adventurous Architect\u201d was born, offering a curated glimpse into the stories the collection holds. The exhibition invites visitors to follow Koyuno\u011flu\u2019s journeys and discoveries through his lens. Click here<\/a> to visit the exhibition page.<\/p>

The collection not only reflects Koyuno\u011flu\u2019s personal pursuits but also opens up numerous possibilities for researchers. Architectural details, cityscapes, military and travel scenes in his photographs provide rich material for new readings on the cultural, social, and spatial history of the early republican era. In this respect, the collection has significant potential as a resource for studies in architecture, urban history, visual culture, and collective memory.<\/p>

The adventure of the collection did not end with the opening of the exhibition. Following its opening, an additional 92 glass negatives, 62 acetate negatives, and 156 photographs were donated to the Institute. The collection thus grew to a total of 483 glass negatives, 62 acetate negatives, 172 photographs, and 1 diapositives\u2014718 archival items in all. These new materials will soon be made available to researchers.<\/p>

The collection can also be accessed online: Explore the Arif Hikmet Koyuno\u011flu Photography Collection.<\/a><\/p>

For those who wish to see more, the exhibition \u201cThe Photography Studio of an Adventurous Architect\u201d can be visited at the Istanbul Research Institute until 17 May 2026.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Suna and \u0130nan K\u0131ra\u00e7 Foundation Arif Hikmet Koyuno\u011flu Photography Collection, preserved at the Istanbul Research Institute archives, is a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":9382,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[128],"tags":[163],"class_list":["post-9386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-iae-en","tag-photo-archive"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bibliopera.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bibliopera.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bibliopera.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bibliopera.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bibliopera.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9386"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/bibliopera.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9386\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9418,"href":"https:\/\/bibliopera.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9386\/revisions\/9418"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bibliopera.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bibliopera.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bibliopera.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bibliopera.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}