Medresetü'l Hattatin Yüz Yaşında - Uğur Derman

The true instruction of calligraphy (hüsn-i hat) has been maintained for centuries privately and altruistically through the method of meşk (practice/exercise) from master to apprentice. However, due to the financial impossibilities of the 19th century, this tradition could no longer be sustained as before, and the need arose for an educational institution capable of adapting to the conditions of the age. In particular, book arts closely related to calligraphy, such as illumination (tezhîb), bookbinding (cild), and marbling (ebrû), had largely taken on the form of artisanal crafts passed down from father to son. It was in this context that the Medresetü’l-Hattâtîn (School of Calligraphers), inaugurated on May 20, 1915, in the historic primary school building at the Sublime Porte (Bâbıâlî), began its operations for the revival of calligraphy and our other traditional arts. It continued its positive activities independently under the name Hattat Mektebi in 1925, and later as the School of Oriental Decorative Arts in 1929, until it was annexed to the Academy of Fine Arts in 1936. This book recounts the history of the Medresetü’l-Hattâtîn and its two successor schools in the light of accessible information. It is our goal that this humble work be published in a more expanded form as further documents come to light.