Bursalı Mehmed Tahir, the great bibliographer who left a unique legacy to our cultural and scientific history with his monumental work titled Osmanlı Müellifleri (Ottoman Authors), was commemorated on the 100th anniversary of his passing with a special program organized in cooperation with our Institute and the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism.
The commemoration events held on Friday, November 28, 2025, began at the late scholar's grave in Üsküdar. Participants gathered at the Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi Dervish Lodge Hazire (Burial Area) at 11:00 AM, where they listened to the recitation of the Holy Quran and commemorated Bursalı Mehmed Tahir by offering prayers for his soul.
The panel, which constituted the academic and cultural component of the program, was held on the same day at 15:00 at the Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar Literature Museum Library in Fatih. Dr. Coşkun Yılmaz, President of the Turkish Manuscript Institution (Türkiye Yazma Eserler Kurumu), chaired the session. The speakers included Prof. İhsan Fazlıoğlu, Director of the Institute for the History of Science at Istanbul Medeniyet University, and Asst. Prof. Ahmet Emin Saraç from the Faculty of Letters at Istanbul Medeniyet University.
During the panel, Bursalı Mehmed Tahir’s life, scholarly persona, and contributions to biographical historiography were discussed in depth. The speakers emphasized the indispensable value of Osmanlı Müellifleri for research in the history of science and shared with the audience the story of how this great opus was produced under challenging conditions.
