Abstract
This obituary touches on short academic biography of Rifa'at Ali Abou-El-Haj, his place in the historiography of the Ottoman Empire, his mentorship and intellectual care for his students and visit to İstanbul. He was born in Palestine in 1933 and got his university education in the United States of America and spend his entire his academic life there. He died in New York at the age of 89 in March 13, 2022. As a teacher and mentor who yearns for continuous learning and sharing his knowledge with others, he had a significant in shaping his students' approach to history. One of his most important contributions to the Ottoman history is his analysis of the Ottoman history as transition from early modern to modern state against decline paradigm. He had advised more than 40 PhD students officially as well as unofficially. He received MESA (Middle East and South Asia Studies Program) Mentoring Award in 2017.