Tasvirhâneden Müzeye: Osmanlı Müzeciliğinin Kuruluşunda Ahmed Fethi Paşa
From the Tasvirhâne to the Museum: Ahmed Fethi Pasha and the Making of Ottoman Museology

Summary/Abstract: Ahmed Fethi Pasha was an important actor of the Tanzimat period, who made significant contributions to the Ottoman Empire’s modernisation efforts. Between 1835 and 1839, he served as ambassador to Vienna and Paris, and as a special envoy to London, Berlin, Khojabey (Odesa) and Rome. In these years he visited many different cities and gained a rich cultural and political background. In 1845, he was appointed as the Müşir of Tophane-i Âmire, and with the arrangements he made in Hagia Irini, he came to be regarded as the pioneer and founder of Ottoman/Turkish museology. This article examines the emergence of modern museology in the Ottoman Empire, the role played by Ahmed Fethi Pasha in this process, and the intellectual framework with which he acted while creating museums. It also discusses the contributions of museological initiatives to Ottoman modernisation, and reveals how Ahmed Fethi Pasha transferred the experience and knowledge gained through his diplomatic missions into the field of museology. The study draws on original archival sources, contemporary Ottoman and foreign press reports, and the literature on both Fethi Pasha and the history of museology.

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