40 Notable alumni of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University
Updated: June 05, 2026 EliteDegrees
Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University is ranked #3,365 in the world and #72 in Turkey by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 40 notable alumni from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Sinem Banna
1968-. (aged 58)
sculptor
Sinem Banna is a Turkish-American artist currently living and working in both San Francisco, California, and her home town of Istanbul, Turkey and exhibits internationally.
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2. Hrand Alyanak
1880-1938 (aged 58)
painter
Hrand Hovsep Alyanak was an Ottoman Armenian painter and author.
3. M. Nurullah Tuncer
1959-. (aged 67)
theatrical director
M.Nurullah Tuncer, graduated from Mimar Sinan University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Stage and Costume Design with his B.A. and master's degrees. He then worked as an academic for Mimar Sinan University, Department of stage and visual arts from 1985 till 2002. He has been an artist of Istanbul Municipality City Theatres since 1985 as well. He has contributed...
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4. Yahşi Baraz
1944-. (aged 82)
art dealer
Yahşi Baraz is a Turkish art dealer. He is the founder and the director of one of Turkey's earliest art galleries, Galeri Baraz.
5. Sami Yetik
1878-1945 (aged 67)
painter
Sami Yetik was a Turkish Impressionist painter; primarily of cityscapes and landscapes.
6. Burak Bilgili
1974-. (aged 52)
opera singer
Burak Bilgili is a Turkish operatic bass-baritone who was born in Akşehir, a town in the Konya Province of Turkey. He has sung in leading opera houses in the United States and Europe.
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7. Nevin Çokay
1930-2012 (aged 82)
painter
Nevin Çokay was a Turkish painter and high school teacher of art and history of art.
8. Muhittin Sebati
1901-1932 (aged 31)
painter
Muhittin Sebati was a Turkish Post-Impressionist painter and sculptor.
9. Selim Giray
1970-. (aged 56)
violinist
musicologist
Selim Giray is a Turkish-American violinist, researcher, clinician and conductor.
10. Sarkis Zabunyan
1938-. (aged 88)
conceptual artist
television director
painter
television actor
illustrator
Sarkis Zabunyan, known as Sarkis, (Armenian: Սարգիս; born 26 September 1938) is an Armenian conceptual artist.
11. Nazmi Ziya Güran
1881-1937 (aged 56)
painter
university teacher
Nazmi Ziya Güran was a Turkish Impressionist painter and art teacher.
12. Toros Toromanian
1864-1934 (aged 70)
archaeologist
architect
Toros Toramanian was a prominent Armenian architect and architectural historian. He is considered "the father of Armenian architectural historiography." Christina Maranci credited him with "establishing the practical foundation for the study of Armenian architecture with his "extensive field work, measurements, plans, and photographs."
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13. Komet
1941-2022 (aged 81)
painter
Gürkan Coşkun or more widely known as Komet was a Turkish painter.
14. Ali Hadi Bara
1906-1971 (aged 65)
sculptor
Ali Hadi Bara was a Turkish sculptor and one of the first artists of the Republican generation in Turkey.
15. Güven Kıraç
1960-. (aged 66)
actor
television actor
Güven Kıraç is a Turkish actor. He won the IFFI Best Actor Award (Male) at the 41st International Film Festival of India.
16. İbrahim Çallı
1882-1960 (aged 78)
painter
university teacher
İbrahim Çallı, popularly known as Çallı İbrahim, was a Turkish painter and educator. He was a founding members of the Society of Ottoman Painters. He trained many young painters as a professor at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (formerly Academy of Fine Arts, Istanbul) and they were called the 1914 Generation of artists, is also known as the Çallı Generation.
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17. Tuna Kiremitçi
1973-. (aged 53)
poet
film director
Tuna Kiremitçi is a contemporary Turkish singer-songwriter and crime author.
18. Ogün Sanlısoy
1971-. (aged 55)
singer
vocalist
Ogün Sanlısoy is a Turkish musician, vocalist and guitarist for thrash metal band Mezarkabul (known as Pentagram in Turkey).
19. Ragıp Savaş
1966-. (aged 60)
actor
Ragıp Savaş is a Turkish actor, singer and former sportsman known for his work on Valley of the Wolves: Ambush, Where's Firuze? (2004) and Kuruluş: Osman (2019–2021).
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20. Emre Arolat
1963-. (aged 63)
architect
Emre Arolat is a Turkish architect. In 2004, he co-founded EAA-Emre Arolat Architecture with Gonca Paşolar. Arolat is best known for the construction of Sancaklar Mosque.
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21. Yetkin Dikinciler
1969-. (aged 57)
actor
television actor
Yetkin Dikinciler is a Turkish actor.
22. Erdal Tosun
1963-2016 (aged 53)
film actor
television actor
musician
Erdal Tosun was a Turkish actor.
23. Engin Günaydın
1972-. (aged 54)
actor
television actor
screenwriter
Engin Günaydın is a Turkish actor and comedian.
24. Yonca Evcimik
1963-. (aged 63)
stage actor
actor
singer
film actor
Fatma Yonca Evcimik is a Turkish pop singer and actress.
25. Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu
1911-1975 (aged 64)
poet
painter
Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu was a Turkish painter, mosaic-maker, muralist, writer and poet. His art work was inspired by Anatolian village scenes and folk literature, and included traditional handicraft folk patterns.
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26. Derya Alabora
1959-. (aged 67)
actor
film actor
Derya Alabora is a Turkish actress.
27. Deniz Celiloğlu
1986-. (aged 40)
actor
film actor
Deniz Celiloğlu is a Turkish actor.
28. Damla Sönmez
1987-. (aged 39)
actor
film actor
Tilya Damla Sönmez is a Turkish actress and voiceover artist. She gained worldwide recognition for her movies Sibel and I Am You. Her prominent TV roles include Ceylan in Bir Aşk Hikayesi, Gülru in Güllerin Savaşı, and Efsun in Çukur.
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29. Nejat İşler
1972-. (aged 54)
actor
television actor
Nejat İşler is a Turkish actor and writer. He is best known for many hit films including Cannes Film Festivale recipients. Some of his popular series are Behzat Ç, Gülbeyaz, Bıçak Sırtı, Keşanlı Ali Destanı, İntikam, Aliye, and Şehnaz Tango.
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30. Hayko Cepkin
1978-. (aged 48)
singer
composer
recording artist
Hayko Cepkin is a Turkish musician of Armenian descent.
31. Princess Fahrelnissa Zeid
1901-1991 (aged 90)
painter
lithographer
printmaker
collagist
mosaicist
Princess Fahrelnissa Zeid was a Turkish artist best known for her large-scale abstract paintings with kaleidoscopic patterns as well as her drawings, lithographs, and sculptures. Zeid was one of the first women to go to art school in Istanbul.
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32. Meltem Cumbul
1969-. (aged 57)
film actor
television actor
stage actor
Meltem Cumbul is a Turkish actress and acting teacher.
33. Halit Ergenç
1970-. (aged 56)
film actor
television actor
stage actor
Halit Ergenç is a Turkish actor known for his role as Sultan Suleiman I in Muhteşem Yüzyıl, Onur Aksal in Binbir Gece and Cevdet in Vatanim Sensin.
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34. Adnan Oktar
1956-. (aged 70)
cult leader
Adnan Oktar, also known as Adnan Hoca or Harun Yahya, is a Turkish Muslim televangelist, Islamic creationist, author, and religious leader. His organization is commonly referred to as a cult, and he has been described as a cult leader.
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35. Nuri Bilge Ceylan
1959-. (aged 67)
film director
actor
camera operator
cinematographer
film producer
Nuri Bilge Ceylan is a Turkish director, screenwriter, photographer and actor. His film Winter Sleep (2014) won the Palme d'Or at the 67th Cannes Film Festival, while six of his films have been selected as Turkey's submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
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36. Zeki Müren
1931-1996 (aged 65)
writer
singer-songwriter
poet
stage actor
Zeki Müren was a Turkish singer, composer, songwriter, actor and poet. Known by the nicknames "The Sun of Art" and "Pasha", he was one of the prominent figures of Turkish classical music. Due to his contributions to the art industry, he was named a "State Artist" in 1991. He was the first singer to receive a gold certification in Turkey...
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37. Hande Erçel
1993-. (aged 33)
model
actor
Hande Erçel is a Turkish actress, known for her work in television and films such as Güneşin Kızları (2015–16), Aşk Laftan Anlamaz (2016–17) and Sen Çal Kapımı (2020–21). She made her film debut in the historical drama Intoxicated by Love (2024) which broke box-office records and starred in the Netflix romance Chasing the Wind (2025).
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38. Tuba Büyüküstün
1982-. (aged 44)
film actor
television actor
model
Tuba Büyüküstün is a Turkish actress and model. She is the recipient of several awards and one of Turkey's most popular and highest paid actresses.
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39. Erdem Gündüz
1979-. (aged 47)
choreographer
Erdem Gündüz is a Turkish dancer, actor, performance artist, choreographer, and teacher who, as a result of his actions during the 2013–14 protests in Turkey, has become "the face of the protest movement against the Turkish government." He became internationally known as "The Standing Man" in June 2013 when he stood quietly in Istanbul's Taksim Square as a protest against...
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40. Okan Bayülgen
1964-. (aged 62)
film actor
radio personality
stage actor
Kaan Okan Bayülgen is a Turkish actor, theater founder, variety, talk show host, comedian, photographer, dubbing performer, writer, director.