Notable Alumni of Ankara University [Sorted List]

1. Füsun Önal

1947-. (aged 79)

writer singer actor photographer

Nuriye Füsun Önal is a Turkish pop singer, theatre actress, and writer.

2. Nilüfer Gürsoy

1921-2024 (aged 103)

politician

Nilüfer Gürsoy was a Turkish philologist, politician and memoirist. She served in the parliament between 1965 and 1969, and from 1973 to 1980. She was the daughter of the third president of Turkey, Celâl Bayar.

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3. Kemal Burkay

1937-. (aged 89)

poet lawyer politician lawyer writer poet

Kemal Burkay is a Kurdish writer and politician.

4. Naci Bostancı

1957-. (aged 69)

politician

Mehmet Naci Bostancı is a Turkish politician and academic who currently serves as the Deputy Speaker of the Grand National Assembly along with Şafak Pavey, Koray Aydın and Yurdusev Özsökmenler as of 9 July 2015. He was formerly one of the five parliamentary group leaders of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), having served as an AKP Member of Parliament...

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5. Vamik Volkan

1932-. (aged 94)

peace activist psychiatrist university teacher

Vamık D. Volkan, M.D., DFLAPA, FACPsa, is a Turkish Cypriot born American psychiatrist, internationally known for his 40 years work bringing together conflictual groups for dialogue and mutual understanding. Among his many other honours, he is the president emeritus of International Dialogue Initiative (IDI).

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6. Mehdi Eker

1956-. (aged 70)

veterinarian politician

Mehmet Mehdi Eker is a Kurdish-Turkish politician who served as the Minister of Food, Agriculture and Livestock of Turkey from 2005 until 2015. He was elected a Member of Parliament for the electoral district of Diyarbakır for Democratic People's Party in 2002. He was re-elected in 2007 and 2011 for the Justice and Development Party. He was again elected as...

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7. Emine Işınsu

1938-2021 (aged 83)

poet writer journalist

Emine Işınsu Öksüz was a Turkish writer, poet, and journalist.

8. İdris Baluken

1976-. (aged 50)

physician politician surgeon

İdris Baluken is a Kurdish politician who currently serves as a parliamentary group leader of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) since April 2014. He previously served as a parliamentary group leader for the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) from 2012 until the party's MPs joined the HDP in April 2014.

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9. İsmail Beşikçi

1939-. (aged 87)

writer academic sociologist philosopher

İsmail Beşikçi is a Turkish sociologist, philosopher, revolutionist, and writer. He is a PEN Honorary Member. He has served 17 years in prison on propaganda charges stemming from his writings about the Kurdish population in Middle East.

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10. Mustafa Kamalak

1948-. (aged 78)

lawyer politician

Mustafa Kamalak is a Turkish politician and was the leader of the Felicity Party from March 2011 to October 2016. He graduated from Ankara University. He is married and the father of 2 children.

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11. Selma Aliye Kavaf

1962-. (aged 64)

politician

Selma Aliye Kavaf is a Turkish politician. She is the former Minister of State Responsible for Women and Family Affairs, and a member of parliament for Denizli of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

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12. Mümtaz'er Türköne

1956-. (aged 70)

author

Mümtaz'er Türköne,, is a Turkish academic and author. He was a faculty member at Gazi University from 1993 to 2007 and was a columnist for the Zaman and its English-language sister Today's Zaman.

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13. Hasan Celal Güzel

1945-2018 (aged 73)

politician

Hasan Celal Güzel was a Turkish journalist and politician. He was Minister of Education, Youth and Sport (1987–1989). He was leader of the Rebirth Party in the 1990s, a party he co-founded in 1992. He was a columnist for Radikal and Vatan.

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14. Mustafa Elitaş

1957-. (aged 69)

politician

Mustafa Elitaş is a Turkish politician who served as the Economy Minister of Turkey from 24 November 2015 to 24 November 2016.

15. Cengiz Çandar

1948-. (aged 78)

political scientist writer opinion journalist politician war correspondent

Cengiz Çandar is a Turkish politician, journalist, senior columnist, and a Middle East expert. He is elected to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) in May 2023, as Deputy of Diyarbakır from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party). He is the second eldest serving member of the parliament. Member of EU Harmony Commission of the TBMM...

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16. Agop Dilâçar

1895-1979 (aged 84)

Turkologist journalist linguist university teacher

Agop Dilâçar was a Turkish-Armenian linguist who specialized in Turkic languages and head western languages specialist of the Turkish Language Association. He was proficient in 12 languages, including Armenian, Turkish, English, French, Greek, Spanish, Azerbaijani, Latin, German, Russian and Bulgarian.

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17. Ferit Melen

1906-1988 (aged 82)

politician

Ferit Sadi Melen was a Turkish civil servant, politician and Prime Minister of Turkey.

18. Dengir Mir Mehmet Fırat

1943-2019 (aged 76)

lawyer politician

Dengir Mir Mehmet Fırat was a Turkish politician of Kurdish origin who was one of the founders of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2001. He served as a Member of Parliament for the Grand National Assembly from 1999 to 2011 and again from 2015 to 2018 as a member of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).

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19. Ayhan Bilgen

1971-. (aged 55)

politician writer journalist

Ayhan Bilgen is a journalist, politician and former mayor of Kars from the Peoples' Democratic Party.

20. Suat Kılıç

1972-. (aged 54)

lawyer politician journalist

Suat Kılıç is a Turkish lawyer, journalist, and politician. He was the former Minister of Youth and Sports, served in the third cabinet of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and now he is a politician inside New Wellfare Party.

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21. Sema Ramazanoğlu

1959-. (aged 67)

physician politician surgeon

Sema Ramazanoğlu is a Turkish politician from the Justice and Development Party (AKP) who served as the Minister of Family and Social Policy in the third cabinet of Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu from 24 November 2015 to 24 May 2016. She is the second cabinet minister of Turkey to wear a headscarf, after her predecessor as Family and Social Policy...

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22. Ece Temelkuran

1973-. (aged 53)

poet lawyer television presenter writer journalist poet

Ece Temelkuran is a Turkish journalist and author.

23. Beşir Atalay

1947-. (aged 79)

university teacher politician

Beşir Atalay is a Turkish politician who was Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey in the government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan from 2011 to 2014. Previously he was minister of interior from 28 August 2007 to 14 July 2011.

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24. Selvi Kılıçdaroğlu

1952-. (aged 74)

housewife

Selvi Kılıçdaroğlu is the wife of former CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.

25. Necati Cumalı

1921-2001 (aged 80)

poet lawyer lawyer writer translator poet

Necati Cumalı was a Turkish writer of novels, short-stories, essays and poetry. He was born in Florina, Greece to a Turkish family who had settled in Urla near İzmir in the framework of the 1923 agreement for the population exchange between Greece and Turkey.

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26. Uğur Rıfat Karlova

1980-. (aged 46)

film actor television actor television presenter

Uğur Rıfat Karlova is a Turkish-Taiwanese stand-up comedian, actor, TV host, showman, and writer.

27. Tayfun Talipoğlu

1962-2017 (aged 55)

children's writer journalist television presenter columnist

Tayfun Talipoğlu was a Turkish journalist and writer.

28. Hakan Günday

1976-. (aged 50)

novelist screenwriter

Hakan Günday is a Turkish writer novelist and screenwriter. He was born on the island of Rhodes in 1976. He lived in Brussels as a boy, before moving to Ankara where he completed Tevfik Fikret High School. He studied in Hacettepe University, Université libre de Bruxelles and Ankara University.

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29. Ömer Öcalan

1987-. (aged 39)

politician

Ömer Öcalan is a former politician of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and a current member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey representing Şanlıurfa for the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM).

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30. Mehmet Haberal

1944-. (aged 82)

politician university teacher surgeon writer researcher

Mehmet Haberal, is the founder of Başkent University in Ankara, Turkey, best known for becoming the first transplant surgeon in Turkey after leading the team that performed Turkey's first living-related kidney transplant in 1975, after he returned from surgical training under the mentorship of American surgeon Thomas Starzl, with whom he also performed some of the longest surviving early liver...

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31. Ataol Behramoğlu

1942-. (aged 84)

linguist poet writer

Ataol Behramoğlu is a prominent Turkish poet, author, and Russian-into-Turkish literary translator.

32. Muammer Güler

1949-. (aged 77)

politician

Muammer Güler is a Turkish Mhallami politician. He is a member of parliament from the Justice and Development Party (AKP). He was formerly the Governor of Istanbul Province and the Minister of the Interior under Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's government.

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33. Ali Müfit Gürtuna

1952-. (aged 74)

lawyer politician

Ali Müfit Gürtuna is a Turkish lawyer and politician, who was the mayor of Istanbul from 11 November 1998 to 1 April 2004.

34. İhsan Doğramacı

1915-2010 (aged 95)

academic scientist philanthropist pediatrician

İhsan Doğramacı was a Turkish paediatrician, entrepreneur, philanthropist, educationalist and college administrator of Iraqi Turkmen descent born in modern Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq then part of the Ottoman Empire.

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35. Altan Erkekli

1955-. (aged 71)

actor

Reşit Altan Erkekli is a Turkish theatre, film and television actor.

36. Abdulhamit Gül

1977-. (aged 49)

statesperson jurist politician

Abdulhamit Gül is a Turkish politician and former Minister of Justice. He is a member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey from Gaziantep. He was previously the General Secretary of the Justice and Development Party. He was re-elected at the 2023 Turkish parliamentary election in Gaziantep.

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37. Volkan Bozkır

1950-. (aged 76)

diplomat politician

Volkan Bozkır is a Turkish diplomat and politician who served as the President of the United Nations General Assembly from 2020 to 2021. He served as Minister for European Union Affairs from November 2015 to May 2016 and previously held the same office from August 2014 to August 2015. He concurrently served as the Chief Negotiator for Turkish Accession to...

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38. Hasan Cemal

1944-. (aged 82)

journalist writer

Hasan Cemal is a Turkish journalist and writer. He was the editor of Cumhuriyet from 1981 to 1992, and of Sabah from 1992 to 1998. In 2013 he resigned from the Milliyet newspaper after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had criticised his article supporting Milliyet's publication of minutes of a parliamentary visit to Abdullah Öcalan, and Milliyet suspended him and...

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39. Hüseyin Rahmi Gürpınar

1864-1944 (aged 80)

translator journalist politician writer

Hüseyin Rahmi Gürpınar was a Turkish writer, civil servant, and politician.

40. Merve Kavakcı

1968-. (aged 58)

diplomat politician university teacher

Merve Safa Kavakcı is a Turkish politician who was elected to parliament as a Virtue Party deputy for Istanbul on 18 April 1999 but was never able to take office. She was ambassador to Malaysia from 4 December 2017 until 25 June 2022.

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41. Hulki Cevizoğlu

1958-. (aged 68)

journalist politician

Mustafa Hulki Cevizoğlu is a Turkish journalist, writer and television programmer and 28th Term AKP Istanbul Deputy.

42. Sadullah Ergin

1964-. (aged 62)

lawyer politician

Sadullah Ergin is a Turkish politician.

43. Hanefi Avcı

1956-. (aged 70)

author police officer

Hanefi Avcı is a former chief of police in Turkey, and author of the best-selling book Haliç’te Yaşayan Simonlar, in which Avcı claimed that the Gülen movement had infiltrated the police and manipulated key trials such as the Ergenekon trials through judges and prosecutors close to the movement. Avcı, a conservative Islamist, was himself once close to the movement, and...

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44. Tufan Erhürman

1970-. (aged 56)

university teacher politician

Tufan Erhürman is a Turkish Cypriot academic, lawyer, diplomat, and politician who has been the 6th President of Northern Cyprus since 2025. A scholar in public law by profession, he served in the negotiations to solve the Cyprus dispute between 2008 and 2010. He previously worked for the Ministry of Justice of Turkey between 1999 and 2004 and worked for...

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45. Cüneyt Özdemir

1970-. (aged 56)

journalist writer

Cüneyt Özdemir is a Turkish journalist, television host and producer. He began his career in 1992 as executive director of 32. Gün, and has been the anchorman of the local and foreign affairs program 5N1K, broadcast on CNN Türk, since 2000.

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46. Ahmet Taner Kışlalı

1939-1999 (aged 60)

columnist academic politician

Ahmet Taner Kışlalı was a Turkish professor, politician, and commentator. He served in the Parliament of Turkey in 1977 and was minister of culture in 1978 and 1979. He was killed in 1999.

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47. İclâl Aydın

1971-. (aged 55)

journalist actor

İclal Aydın is a Turkish actress, writer, journalist, and TV presenter. She is best known for popular comedy family series "İki Aile".

48. Bahriye Üçok

1919-1990 (aged 71)

historian sociologist university teacher journalist translator

Bahriye Üçok was a Turkish academic of theology, left-wing politician, writer, columnist, and women's rights activist whose assassination in 1990 remains unresolved.

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49. Hikmet Çetin

1937-. (aged 89)

diplomat economist politician

Hikmet Çetin is a Turkish retired politician of Kurdish origin. He held various national posts during his career, including Foreign Affairs Minister (1991–1994) and Speaker of the Grand National Assembly (1997–1999). In November 2003, he was appointed NATO's inaugural Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan.

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50. Şerif Sezer

1946-. (aged 80)

film actor television actor stage actor

Şerif Sezer is a Turkish actress. She is also known for her roles in Turkish cult films like Everything About Mustafa and My Father and My Son. She was born in 1946 in Mudanya and she has Rumelian, Georgian and Laz roots.

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51. Emine Ülker Tarhan

1963-. (aged 63)

lawyer judge politician

Emine Ülker Tarhan is a Turkish jurist and politician formerly from the Republican People's Party (Turkish: Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, CHP). She was formerly a judge at the High Court of Appeals. She served as the vice spokesperson of her party in the parliament before resigning on 31 October 2014. She founded the Anatolia Party on 14 November 2014 and led...

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52. Mert Fırat

1981-. (aged 45)

actor screenwriter audiobook narrator

Şahabettin Mert Fırat is a Turkish actor and screenwriter. He is of Arab descent.

53. Mithat Sancar

1963-. (aged 63)

politician

Mithat Sancar is a Turkish professor of public and constitutional law, newspaper columnist, and translator of Arab descent. He has been an MP for the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in the Turkish parliament since the June 2015 general election and was elected Co-Chair of the party in February 2020.

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54. Zekeriya Yapıcıoğlu

1966-. (aged 60)

lawyer politician

Zekeriya Yapıcıoğlu is a Kurdish Turkish politician and lawyer who led the Kurdish Islamist Free Cause Party from June 2013 to May 2018 and again from June 2021 on.

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55. Mustafa Destici

1966-. (aged 60)

teacher politician bureaucrat

Mustafa Destici is a Turkish politician and the current leader of the Great Union Party (BBP). He graduated from Ankara University.

56. Yusuf Tekin

2002-. (aged 24)

education minister association football player

Yusuf Tekin is a Turkish bureaucrat and politician. He is the Minister of National Education of the 67th government of Turkey. In 2014 he stated that mixed-sex education "isn't required." Tekin is married to Ayşe Tekin and has 3 children. He also adequately speaks English.

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57. Mustafa Cengiz

1949-2021 (aged 72)

sports executive businessperson

Mustafa Cengiz was a Turkish businessman who served as the president of sports club Galatasaray S.K.

58. Murathan Mungan

1955-. (aged 71)

poet screenwriter writer novelist lyricist

Murathan Mungan is a Turkish author, short story writer, playwright, and poet.

59. Adalet Ağaoğlu

1929-2020 (aged 91)

novelist prose writer writer journalist playwright

Adalet Ağaoğlu was a Turkish novelist and playwright, considered one of the foremost novelists of 20th-century Turkish literature. She also wrote essays, memoirs, and short stories.

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60. Metin Feyzioğlu

1969-. (aged 57)

lawyer politician

Metin Feyzioğlu is a Turkish lawyer and a professor of criminal law who served as the 8th president of the Turkish Bars Association between May 2013 and December 2021. Metin Feyzioğlu was appointed as Türkiye's new ambassador to Prague in July 2024. He is the grandson of Turhan Feyzioğlu, a former CHP politician and deputy prime minister.

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61. Bülent Arınç

1948-. (aged 78)

lawyer politician

Bülent Arınç is a conservative Turkish politician. He served as the 22nd Speaker of the Parliament of Turkey from 2002 to 2007 and as a Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey between 2009 and 2015. He also co-founded the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2001.

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62. Nihat Hatipoğlu

1955-. (aged 71)

academic

Nihat Hatipoğlu is a Turkish academician and theologian.

63. Erdal İnönü

1926-2007 (aged 81)

physicist diplomat university teacher politician

Erdal İnönü was a Turkish theoretical physicist and politician who served as the interim prime minister of Turkey between 16 May and 25 June 1993. He also served as the deputy prime minister of Turkey from 1991 to 1993 and as the minister of foreign affairs from March to October 1995. He served as the leader of the Social Democracy...

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64. Barış Falay

1972-. (aged 54)

film actor actor television actor

Barış Falay is a Turkish actor.

65. Muazzez İlmiye Çığ

1914-2024 (aged 110)

archaeologist assyriologist

Muazzez İlmiye Çığ was a Turkish archeologist, librarian, writer, and supercentenarian who specialised in the study of Hittites and Sumerian civilization.

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66. Doğu Perinçek

1942-. (aged 84)

politician

Doğu Perinçek is a Turkish politician, doctor of law and former communist revolutionary who has been chairman of the left-wing nationalist Patriotic Party since 2015. He was also a member of the Talat Pasha Committee, an organization that denies the Armenian genocide. Politically, he is a Eurasianist who favors closer relations with China and Russia, and is one of the...

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67. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu

1968-. (aged 58)

politician

Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu is a Turkish diplomat and politician who is currently a member of the Grand National Assembly. He also served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey from August 2014 to August 2015, and again from 24 November 2015 to 4 June 2023.

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68. Filiz Akın

1943-2025 (aged 82)

model film actor

Filiz Akın was a Turkish actress, writer and television presenter. Known as Yeşilçam Turkish cinema's "noble, modern, urban and elegant face", Filiz Akın had a large fan base in Turkey. She was an official ambassador, due to her third husband Sönmez Köksal being Turkey's Ambassador to France.

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69. Uğur Mumcu

1942-1993 (aged 51)

lawyer writer journalist

Uğur Mumcu was a Turkish investigative journalist for the daily Cumhuriyet. He was assassinated by a bomb placed in his car outside his home.

70. Selda Bağcan

1948-. (aged 78)

composer recording artist guitarist singer

Havva Selda Bağcan is a Turkish folk singer-songwriter, guitarist, and music producer.

71. Kartal Tibet

1939-2021 (aged 82)

screenwriter film director film producer actor film actor

Kartal Tibet was a Turkish actor, academic, director, screenwriter and producer.

72. Selahattin Demirtaş

1973-. (aged 53)

author lawyer politician

Selahattin Demirtaş is a Kurdish-Turkish politician, lawyer and author. He was the co-leader of the left-wing pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), serving alongside Figen Yüksekdağ from 2014 to 2018. Selahattin Demirtaş announced that he left politics after the May 2023 elections.

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73. Ahmet Necdet Sezer

1941-. (aged 85)

judge politician

Ahmet Necdet Sezer is a Turkish statesman and judge who served as the president of Turkey from 2000 to 2007. Previously, he was president of the Constitutional Court of Turkey from January 1998 to May 2000. The Grand National Assembly of Turkey elected Sezer as president in 2000 after Süleyman Demirel's seven-year term expired. He was succeeded by Abdullah Gül...

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74. Sırrı Süreyya Önder

1962-2025 (aged 63)

film director columnist politician screenwriter film actor

Sırrı Süreyya Önder was a Turkish film director, actor, screenwriter, columnist and politician. Elected to parliament in 2011 as an independent backed by the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), he later joined the party even though he was not of Kurdish descent. He competed in the 2014 municipal elections as the Istanbul mayoral candidate of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP),...

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75. Hamdi Ulukaya

1972-. (aged 54)

philanthropist businessperson entrepreneur chief executive officer

Hamdi Ulukaya is a Turkish billionaire businessperson, activist and philanthropist of Kurdish ethnicity based in the United States. He is the founder, owner, chair, and CEO of the strained yogurt brand Chobani. He is among the 200 richest people in the world, with a fortune of $14.5B, as of January 2026.

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76. Deniz Baykal

1938-2023 (aged 85)

diplomat lawyer politician

Deniz Baykal was a Turkish politician, as well as a member of the Republican People's Party (CHP), who served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 1996. Having served in numerous government positions, Baykal led the CHP from 1992 to February 1995, from September 1995 to 1999 and again from 2000 to 2010. Between 2002...

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77. Abdullah Öcalan

1949-. (aged 77)

writer activist political scientist politician

Abdullah Öcalan, also known as Apo (short for Abdullah in Turkish; Kurdish for "uncle"), is a founding member of the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

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78. Adnan Menderes

1899-1961 (aged 62)

politician

Ali Adnan Ertekin Menderes was a Turkish politician who served as Prime Minister of Turkey between 1950 and 1960. He was one of the founders of the Democrat Party (DP) in 1946, the fourth legal opposition party of Turkey. He was tried and hanged under the military junta after the 1960 coup d'état, along with two other cabinet members, Fatin...

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79. Can Dündar

1961-. (aged 65)

columnist screenwriter film screenwriter film director documentarian

Can Dündar is a Turkish journalist, columnist and documentarian. Editor-in-chief of center-left Cumhuriyet newspaper until August 2016, he was arrested in November 2015 after his newspaper published footage showing the State Intelligence MİT sending weapons to Syrian Islamist fighters.

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80. Semra Sezer

1944-. (aged 82)

politician

Semra Sezer was the First Lady of Turkey from May 2000 until August 2007 during the presidency of her husband Ahmet Necdet Sezer.

81. Melih Gökçek

1948-. (aged 78)

politician

İbrahim Melih Gökçek is a Turkish politician who served as the mayor of Ankara from 1994 to 2017. From 1991 to 1994, he was an MP. Gökçek has won municipal elections in 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009, and was controversially also declared the winner in 2014. He is a member of the governing AK Party.

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82. Abdüllatif Şener

1954-. (aged 72)

university teacher politician

Abdüllatif Şener is a Turkish politician. He was Minister of Finance of Turkey from 1996 to 1997 and Deputy Prime Minister from 2002 to 2007, under Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

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83. Onur Saylak

1977-. (aged 49)

actor television director film director

Arif Onur Saylak is a Turkish actor, filmmaker and director. He was married for six years to Tuba Büyüküstün, with whom he has twin daughters.

84. Dilhan Eryurt

1926-2012 (aged 86)

astrophysicist professor

Dilhan Eryurt was a Turkish astrophysicist who made major contributions to scientific research on the formation and evolution of the Sun and other main sequence stars.

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85. Cemil Çiçek

1946-. (aged 80)

lawyer politician

Cemil Çiçek is a Turkish politician who was the Speaker of the Parliament of Turkey between 4 July 2011 and 7 June 2015. Previously he was Minister of Justice from 2002 to 2007 and Deputy Prime Minister from 2007 to 2011. He was also a Justice and Development Party Member of Parliament from Ankara.

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86. Ahmet Arslan

1944-. (aged 82)

author

Ahmet Arslan is a Turkish politician from the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) who served as the Minister of Transport, Maritime and Communication from 24 May 2016 until 10 July 2018. He is a Member of Parliament for the electoral district of Kars, having first been elected in the November 2015 general election.

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87. Feridun Sinirlioğlu

1956-. (aged 70)

diplomat

Feridun Hadi Sinirlioğlu is a Turkish diplomat and politician serving as the Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) since 6 December 2024. Previously, he served as permanent representative of Turkey to the United Nations from 2016 to 2023 and as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey from August 2015 to November 2015.

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88. İsmet Yılmaz

1961-. (aged 65)

minister engineer politician

İsmet Yılmaz is a Turkish politician who was a member of the Grand National Assembly from 2011 to 2023.

89. Mustafa Ceceli

1980-. (aged 46)

composer singer

Mustafa Ceceli is a Turkish singer.

90. Faik Öztrak

1954-. (aged 72)

statesperson economist politician

Faik Öztrak is a Turkish politician who served as the deputy leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP) from 2010 to 2015. He has been a Member of Parliament for the electoral district of Tekirdağ since 2007, having first been elected at the 2007 general election. He was re-elected in 2011, June 2015 and November 2015. Between 2010 and 2014,...

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91. Mehmet Şimşek

1967-. (aged 59)

politician

Mehmet Şimşek is a Turkish politician and economist, who has been serving as the Minister of Treasury and Finance since 4 June 2023. He was the Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey from 24 November 2015 until the office's abolition on 9 July 2018. He previously served as the minister of finance from 2009 to 2015, in the cabinets of Prime...

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92. Murat Karayalçın

1943-. (aged 83)

diplomat politician

Murat Karayalçın is a prominent Turkish politician. He is a former foreign minister (1994–1995), deputy prime minister, and a former mayor of Ankara (1989–1993). He is the founder (in 2002) of the new SHP.

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93. Halil İnalcık

1916-2016 (aged 100)

historian writer university teacher

Halil İnalcık was a Turkish historian. His highly influential research centered on social and economic approaches to the Ottoman Empire. His academic career started at Ankara University, where he completed his PhD and worked between 1940 and 1972. Between 1972 and 1986, he taught Ottoman history at the University of Chicago. From 1994 onward, he taught at Bilkent University, where...

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94. Bülent Ecevit

1925-2006 (aged 81)

poet writer translator politician journalist

Mustafa Bülent Ecevit was a Turkish statesman, poet, writer, scholar, and journalist. He served as the Prime Minister of Turkey four times between 1974 and 2002. He served as prime minister in 1974, 1977, 1978–1979, and 1999–2002. Ecevit was chairman of the Republican People's Party (CHP) between 1972 and 1980, and in 1987 he became chairman of the Democratic Left...

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95. Tunç Soyer

1959-. (aged 67)

lawyer mayor

Mustafa Tunç Soyer is a Turkish politician from the Republican People's Party (CHP) who served as the Mayor of İzmir from 2019 to 2024. He previously served as the mayor of Seferihisar, a coastal district of İzmir, from 2009 to 2019.

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96. Turgut Özakman

1930-2013 (aged 83)

screenwriter playwright lawyer dramaturge

Turgut Özakman was a Turkish lawyer, a civil servant, a dramaturge and a writer.

97. Mesut Yılmaz

1947-2020 (aged 73)

diplomat politician

Ahmet Mesut Yılmaz was a Turkish politician. He was the leader of the Motherland Party (Turkish: Anavatan Partisi, ANAP) from 1991 to 2002, and served three times as Prime Minister of Turkey. His first two prime-ministerial terms lasted just months (in 1991 and 1996), while the third ran from June 1997 to January 1999. The first was brought to an...

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98. İlber Ortaylı

1947-. (aged 79)

historian military historian art historian university teacher

İlber Ortaylı is a Turkish historian and professor of history of Crimean Tatar origin at the MEF University, Galatasaray University in Istanbul and at Bilkent University in Ankara. In 2005, he was appointed as the director of the Topkapı Museum in Istanbul, until he retired in 2012.

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99. Mehmet Görmez

1959-. (aged 67)

university teacher ulema imam

Mehmet Görmez is the former President of the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Turkish: Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı from November 2010 to 31 July 2017, commonly known as Diyanet) and as such legally the highest level Islamic scholar in Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

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100. Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu

1943-. (aged 83)

historian diplomat university teacher politician

Ekmeleddin Mehmet İhsanoğlu is a Turkish chemistry and science history professor, academician, diplomat and politician who was Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) from 2004 to 2014. He is also an author and editor of academic journals and advocate of intercultural dialogue.

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