Born in 1947 in a refugee camp in Bregenz, Austria, as the child of a Crimean Tatar family, İlber Ortaylı is one of the leading Turkish historians who made knowledge of history beloved by the broader public and especially by younger generations. He completed his undergraduate studies at the Faculty of Political Sciences and the Department of History of the Faculty of Language, History and Geography at Ankara University. He deepened his academic training by completing a master's degree with Halil İnalcık at the University of Chicago. He completed his doctorate at Ankara University with his dissertation titled “Tanzimat Sonrası Mahalli İdareler” (Local Administrations after the Tanzimat); he became an associate professor in 1979 with his habilitation thesis titled “Osmanlı İmparatorluğu'nda Alman Nüfuzu” (German Influence in the Ottoman Empire), and received the title of professor in 1989.
İlber Ortaylı served as a visiting faculty member at prominent European universities such as the University of Vienna, Freie Universität Berlin and the University of Oxford. He also served as Head of the Department of the History of Law at Galatasaray University and as Director of the Topkapı Palace Museum between 2005 and 2012.
Ortaylı was presented with the High Human Values Award as part of the 2nd High Human Values Awards organized by Uskudar University in 2017.
İlber Ortaylı is an important historian who stands out for his work on Ottoman bureaucracy, urban history and diplomacy, and who, thanks to his multilingual intellectual background, represented Turkish historiography on international academic platforms. His clear, systematic and analytical style of expression and his broad general knowledge helped ensure that historical knowledge did not remain confined to academic circles but reached the broader public and especially younger generations. Notable for the students he trained and his public visibility as well as for his academic output, Ortaylı has in this respect been described as a “living library.”
Ortaylı passed away on March 13, 2026, at the age of 78, and was laid to rest in the cemetery of the Fatih Mosque following a funeral ceremony.
At the High Human Values Awards ceremony, held for the second time in 2017, historian Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı was also presented with the High Human Values Award. Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı, deemed worthy of the 2nd High Human Values Award as an expert scientist in his field for his contributions to historical values and the science of history and for his efforts to make history beloved by society, received his award from Uskudar University Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Sevil Atasoy.
You can watch İlber Ortaylı's speech at the award ceremony here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBkfRQIyXSM