Mualla Eyüboğlu facts for kids

Mualla Eyüboğlu Anhegger (born March 13, 1919 – died August 16, 2009) was a very important Turkish architect. She was one of the first women in Turkey to become an architect. She is famous for her amazing work restoring old buildings. Two of her most well-known projects were the Topkapı Palace's harem section and the Rumelihisarı fortress in Istanbul.

Early Life and Education

Mualla Eyüboğlu was born in 1919 in a place called Aziziye, in Sivas. She grew up in a family that valued education very much. Her brothers were also famous: Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu was a well-known painter and poet, and Sabahattin Eyüboğlu was an author and translator. Her father, Mehmet Rahmi, was a governor and a member of parliament chosen by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey.

Her family later moved to Istanbul. Mualla went to a regular high school there. After high school, she studied fine arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Istanbul. She finished her studies and became an architect in 1942. Mualla often talked about how important education was to her family, especially for girls. She said they were inspired by Atatürk's ideas to get an education and help their country.

After becoming an architect, Mualla started working in a small village called Hasanoğlan, near Ankara. She helped build "village institutes" there. At that time, the Turkish government wanted to help small villages in Anatolia grow. These village institutes were key to educating people. Mualla explained that these institutes aimed to teach people across Anatolia. When the Turkish Republic was founded in 1923, most people lived in rural areas, and only a small percentage could read. So, it was very important to educate everyone. The country was divided into 21 parts, and each part got an institute. These places taught reading and writing, but also practical skills like carpentry and planting.

Mualla's Career and Restoration Work

During the 1940s, Mualla Eyüboğlu designed many new institutes and schools in villages all over rural Turkey. In 1947, she got sick with malaria. This made her move back to Istanbul. Also, in the 1950s, the government stopped supporting the village institute program. This meant she had to stay in Istanbul for her work.

After she got better, she started working at the Istanbul Academy of Fine Arts. But soon, she began traveling again as an excavation architect. In 1948, she met Robert Anhegger, who was a German expert in Ottoman and Turkish history. They became good friends and later married in 1958. She shared that he proposed with a very old ring from the 4th century A.D.

We got married in 1958, in the 10th anniversary of our friendship. He proposed to me with a ring that was from the 4th century A.D. After my father's death, I was feeling lonely and I couldn't resist his insistence anymore.

After her marriage, Mualla Eyüboğlu started working as a restoration architect in Istanbul. Her most famous projects involved restoring historical landmarks. She worked on the Topkapı Palace's harem section and the Rumelihisarı fortress. Her excellent work was recognized in 2008. She received a special jury award for her amazing contributions to architecture at the Turkish National Architecture Awards.

In 1964, Mualla and Robert bought an apartment in a famous building in Istanbul's Galata area. She filled their home with beautiful artifacts she had collected during her travels in Anatolia. They were married for over 40 years until Robert passed away in 2001. Mualla was very sad after his death. She continued to live in their apartment and hoped to donate her collection to a small museum. However, her wish was not fulfilled.

Mualla Eyüboğlu Anhegger passed away on August 16, 2009, when she was 90 years old. She was buried at the Merkezefendi Cemetery after a religious funeral service at Teşvikiye Mosque.