Research Article

Analysis of Early Republican Period Primary School Buildings in Istanbul Through Type Projects

Volume: 34 Number: 2 December 30, 2025
TR EN

Analysis of Early Republican Period Primary School Buildings in Istanbul Through Type Projects

Abstract

After the proclamation of the Republic in Türkiye, the primary goal was to guarantee education as a fundamental right and to create the necessary physical infrastructure throughout the country. In this context, a building department under the Ministry of Education (Maarif Vekâleti) was established in 1927, which enabled both the expansion of school buildings in rural areas and the creation of standardized designs in urban areas. The aim of this study is to identify primary school buildings from the early Republican era in Istanbul, classify them according to floor plan types and analyze their architectural features. The data was collected through literature review, observation and document analysis, using a qualitative research approach. Within this framework, 22 primary school buildings built in Istanbul in the early Republican period were evaluated. Looking at the construction dates and architectural features of the school buildings studied, one can see the effects of the new policy that the Republic was trying to introduce. From the proclamation of the Republic until 1927, it can be observed that the architectural understanding of architects such as architect Kemaleddin and architect Vedat continued and the school buildings were designed as a result of the planning understanding of the Ottoman period. With the appointment of Ernst Egli as head of the building department of the Ministry of Education (Maarif Vekâleti) in 1927, simplification tendencies began to manifest themselves in architecture and the understanding of architecture was reinterpreted and simplified and continued into the 1940s.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

This article was based on Burak Gürtekin’s master thesis, titled “Early Republican Period Primary School Buildings in Istanbul (1923-1945)” supervised by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Arif Mısırlı.

References

  1. Akçıl Harmankaya, N. Ç. (2024). İstanbul’da Erken Cumhuriyet Dönemi Eğitim Yapılarına Bir Örnek: Eski Beyazıt İlkokulu. Sanat Tarihi Dergisi, 33(2), 1051-1073. https://doi.org/10.29135/std.1517386
  2. Akyüz, Y. (2012). Türk Eğitim Tarihi. Ankara: Pegem.
  3. Anonim. (1930). İstanbul’da Yeni Yapılan İlk Mektepler. İstanbul Belediye Mecmuası, 74 (2), 54-56.
  4. Archive of Istanbul Regional Council for the Conservation of Cultural Property No. 1, (2022), Nüket Ercan Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School File.
  5. Archive of Istanbul Regional Council for the Conservation of Cultural Property No. 4, (2022a), Engin Sever Kindergarten File.
  6. Archive of Istanbul Regional Council for the Conservation of Cultural Property No. 4, (2022b), Ulubatlı Hasan Primary School File.
  7. Archive of Istanbul Regional Council for the Conservation of Cultural Property No. 4, (2022c), Akşemsettin Primary School File.
  8. Archive of Istanbul Regional Council for the Conservation of Cultural Property No. 6, (2022), Salacak Imam-Hatip Secondary School File.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

History of Architecture

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

December 30, 2025

Submission Date

June 3, 2025

Acceptance Date

August 29, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 34 Number: 2

APA
Gürtekin, B., & Mısırlı, A. (2025). Analysis of Early Republican Period Primary School Buildings in Istanbul Through Type Projects. Sanat Tarihi Dergisi, 34(2), 485-507. https://doi.org/10.29135/std.1713767
AMA
1.Gürtekin B, Mısırlı A. Analysis of Early Republican Period Primary School Buildings in Istanbul Through Type Projects. STD. 2025;34(2):485-507. doi:10.29135/std.1713767
Chicago
Gürtekin, Burak, and Arif Mısırlı. 2025. “Analysis of Early Republican Period Primary School Buildings in Istanbul Through Type Projects”. Sanat Tarihi Dergisi 34 (2): 485-507. https://doi.org/10.29135/std.1713767.
EndNote
Gürtekin B, Mısırlı A (December 1, 2025) Analysis of Early Republican Period Primary School Buildings in Istanbul Through Type Projects. Sanat Tarihi Dergisi 34 2 485–507.
IEEE
[1]B. Gürtekin and A. Mısırlı, “Analysis of Early Republican Period Primary School Buildings in Istanbul Through Type Projects”, STD, vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 485–507, Dec. 2025, doi: 10.29135/std.1713767.
ISNAD
Gürtekin, Burak - Mısırlı, Arif. “Analysis of Early Republican Period Primary School Buildings in Istanbul Through Type Projects”. Sanat Tarihi Dergisi 34/2 (December 1, 2025): 485-507. https://doi.org/10.29135/std.1713767.
JAMA
1.Gürtekin B, Mısırlı A. Analysis of Early Republican Period Primary School Buildings in Istanbul Through Type Projects. STD. 2025;34:485–507.
MLA
Gürtekin, Burak, and Arif Mısırlı. “Analysis of Early Republican Period Primary School Buildings in Istanbul Through Type Projects”. Sanat Tarihi Dergisi, vol. 34, no. 2, Dec. 2025, pp. 485-07, doi:10.29135/std.1713767.
Vancouver
1.Burak Gürtekin, Arif Mısırlı. Analysis of Early Republican Period Primary School Buildings in Istanbul Through Type Projects. STD. 2025 Dec. 1;34(2):485-507. doi:10.29135/std.1713767