Link: Kültürümüze âşık bir hezarfen: A. Süheyl Ünver - Lacivert

Süheyl Ünver: A Devoted Guardian of Tradition

Süheyl Ünver, whose name became synonymous with the sensitivity of preserving our traditions, never gave up on our art and culture even under the most difficult conditions. He worked tirelessly for the service of the nation and culture—gathering, producing; he became a means for many beautiful things not only through his pen and words, but also through the silent language of his actions.

He was undoubtedly one of the best examples of how we can come together around our shared values to produce aesthetic works. Süheyl Ünver, whose name became one with the sensitivity of protecting tradition, never gave up on art and culture, even in the toughest of times. He dedicated himself to serving the people and culture, collecting, producing with all his strength—not only through his pen and tongue but also through his exemplary conduct. The "Hezarfen" (polymath) Süheyl Ünver, who dedicated his life to rescuing, preserving, at the very least reminding and recording our national cultural heritage, was discussed with his daughter and student Gülbün Mesara and Dr. Lecturer Mesut Aytekin, who documented his life in a film titled "Uluğbeyler Süheyl Ünver."

GÜLBÜN MESARA / Daughter, Student

His Personal Collection Was Like a Museum

Let’s begin by talking about Süheyl Ünver’s upbringing?

My father Süheyl Ünver’s inclination toward art developed thanks to both the atavistic influences of his artistic family and his innate talents. His father, Mustafa Enver Bey—then Director of Post and Telegraph—passed away when he was young but had already taken him to social gatherings and instilled in him a love of books. These were his first guides on the path of life and art.

Your father also had a talent and interest in drawing, didn’t he?

As he grew up, he began creating small illumination (tezhip) samples inspired by the manuscripts and ornate panels in his father’s rich library. In 1916, during a tram ride, someone saw these works by chance and suggested he get formal training, marking the true beginning of his artistic education. That same year, he enrolled in the Medresetü’l Hattatin (Calligraphy High School), where he studied for seven years while simultaneously pursuing a medical degree. He successfully completed training in illumination, calligraphy, and marbling (ebru). During this time, he also met his teacher, painter Ali Rıza Bey, under whose supervision he began watercolors and pencil drawings, which became a turning point in his life. Over the years, his goal became documenting and immortalizing—through painting—Turkey’s historic yet vanishing architectural treasures.

Süheyl Ünver was constantly writing, drawing, and archiving. Where did this interest come from?

Unver saw his passion for learning and art as an inherited instinct, as I mentioned earlier. His primary focus was medical topics, being a physician and medical historian. Yet, with a deep devotion to Turkish culture and arts, he gathered notes, drawings, thousands of notebooks, publications, and articles with incredible diligence. The most important part of his personal archive consisted of his ornamental artworks—countless illuminations, miniatures, and watercolors he found time to produce alongside a busy academic career.

You can’t talk about his notebooks without mentioning his drawings of Istanbul. It was clearly a deep love, wasn’t it?

Indeed, he was a true lover of Istanbul. Since his youth, he had walked through every corner of this city where he was born and raised. He documented its historical sites, as if he knew they would vanish. He photographed them and recorded them through pencil and watercolor. By 1957, he was already mourning this loss, saying, “Istanbul is no more.”

As both his student and daughter, what was your relationship like?

We had a very special bond from my early childhood. He would dedicate books to me and give me miniature illumination designs and materials to spark my interest in classical arts. This environment shaped my path in life. As I grew older, I became his student and then his assistant. The collection he entrusted to me is still preserved in my private library.

He wrote around 2,000 books, articles, presentations, encyclopedia entries, and newspaper columns on science, culture, and art history. What was his work ethic like?

Above all, Süheyl Ünver was a medical doctor and academic. Beyond giving university lectures, he also chaired the Department of Medical History and Ethics, which he had founded. Despite this busy life, at home he spent all his time in his study, writing, organizing, and drawing. Even when taking a break from intense work, he found joy in painting decorative motifs. He lived his days to the fullest.

MESUT AYTEKIN / Director, Dr. Lecturer

What led you to create a documentary about Süheyl Ünver?

The Uluğbeyler (Great Scholars) documentary series is an expression of the deep gratitude upheld by the Kültür Ocağı Foundation (KOCAV). Through this series, we aim to remember the devoted souls who left their mark on the Turkish world and worked tirelessly for the nation. So far, we’ve documented the lives of three prominent figures: Turan Yazgan, Emin Işık, and Süheyl Ünver.

Ordinaryüs Prof. Dr. A. Süheyl Ünver was a true polymath. His multifaceted personality, productivity, generosity, and wisdom make him a role model for today’s youth. That’s why he was a perfect fit for our Uluğbeyler series. With support from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the leadership of Istanbul University’s Communication Faculty, we brought the documentary to life.

Unver was both a photographer and an illustrator. Surely the documentary wasn’t easy to make. What was the process like?

It was a challenging journey. Ünver had made contributions in miniature, calligraphy, illumination, and painting. He is one of the first names that comes to mind in Turkish cultural, scientific, artistic, and medical history. We had to distill this remarkable legacy into one hour. The documentary focuses on his foundational work in medical history in Turkey, his efforts in identifying and promoting calligraphy, miniature, architectural heritage, his archival practices, and his immense contributions to Turkish culture and medical history.

We completed the documentary in about a year, featuring interviews with 16 people whose lives had been touched by Ünver: Gülbün Mesara, Azade Akar, Prof. Dr. Çiçek Derman, Prof. Uğur Derman, Prof. Dr. Aykut Kazancıgil, Hüseyin Kutlu, Ülker Erke, İnci Ayan Birol, Müjgan Üçer, Dürdane Ünver, Beşir Ayvazoğlu, Prof. Dr. Hüsrev Hatemi, Semih İrteş, Prof. Dr. Ayten Altıntaş, Prof. Dr. Gülten Dinç, and Nimet Sanlıman.

What did you learn while preparing the documentary?

Personally, the Uluğbeyler Süheyl Ünver documentary was a tremendous learning experience. I met 16 extraordinary individuals of great scholarly and spiritual depth. I witnessed what a true scholar could accomplish alone. I realized that limitations of time, space, and resources don’t prevent creativity. The modern excuse of “not having enough time” is just that—an excuse.

I also learned that our culture encompasses not only art, clothing, and food but also a landscape, a flower, a gravestone—everything touched by the spirit of its people.

I saw that a scholar should not only teach with words but be an example through actions. I realized waiting for "heroes" is misguided. We must raise them—and Süheyl Ünver devoted his life to that purpose.

One surprising realization was this: his students, with their art, posture, and language, became representatives of the civilization we long for. Ünver passed his spirit to them and spared no effort in raising them. As a result, we now have dozens of leading experts in their fields. They too are working, training others, and carrying the torch forward.

Who is A. Süheyl Ünver?

Renowned for his contributions to Turkish cultural studies, physician and medical historian Ordinaryüs Prof. Dr. Ahmet Süheyl Ünver was born in 1898 in Istanbul. After graduating from the Darülfünun Faculty of Medicine in 1920, he completed his specialization at the Paris Faculty of Medicine. He studied illumination and marbling at Medresetü’l Hattatin. He founded the Medical History Institute at Istanbul University and lectured at the Academy of Fine Arts. Fluent in Arabic, Persian, and French, Ünver trained many students as a painter, miniaturist, ornamentation artist, and calligrapher. He published approximately 2,500 books and articles in science and cultural history. He passed away in 1986.

Some of his works:

• Medicine among the Uyghurs (8th–14th centuries) – 1936

• History of Medicine from Prehistoric Times to Islamic Medicine – 1938

• Seljuk Medicine (11th–14th centuries) – 1940

• General History of Medicine with Illustrations and Documents – 1943

• Fatih Era Album from a Scientific and Artistic Perspective – 1945

• Map of Bayezid's Waterways and 140-Year-Old Istanbul – 1945

• Fatih's Sons Mustafa and Cem in Bursa and Their Tombs – 1946

• Origins of Istanbul University: Fatih Complex and the Intellectual Life of the Era – 1946

• Ali Kuşçu: His Life and Works – 1948

• History of Smallpox Vaccination in Turkey – 1948

• Artist Levnî: Life and Works – 1949–1951

• Fatih Era Cuisine – 1952

• Turkish Scripts and Useful Information – 1953

• Sahaba Graves in Istanbul – 1953

• Physician from Konya, Hacı Paşa: Life and Works – 1953

• Ibn Sina: His Life and Works – 1955

• Fatih Era Palace Decorators and Baba Nakkaş – 1958

• Clothing Illustrations from Past Centuries – 1958

• Calligrapher Ali bin Hilal: Life and Works – 1958

• History of Pharmacology in Turkey – 1960

• Annual of Our Medical History I – 1966

• Midwives in History and the History of Birth – 1967

• Istanbul Observatory – 1969–1985

• Overview of Turkish Pharmaceutical History – 1971

• Kırk Ambar – 1972

• Happy Soldiers of Istanbul and the Fallen – 1976