Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin (1924–2018) is a scholar who researched documented and transmitted the history of Islamic sciences through written works to future academic literature. Born in Bitlis, Sezgin received his education in Arabic-Persian philology at Istanbul University, conducted extensive studies on manuscripts, and played a pivotal role in institutionalizing the history of science through the institutes and museums he established in Türkiye and Germany.

Birth Family Background and Childhood (1924–1940)

Mehmet Fuat Sezgin was born on 24 October 1924 in the Kızılmescid neighborhood of Bitlis. His father Mirza Mehmet Efendi was a religious figure who served as a judge, madrasa teacher and mufti; his mother Cemile Feride Hanım was also from Bitlis. The family consisted of five children and Sezgin’s childhood unfolded in an environment deeply immersed in madrasa culture Arabic language learning and classical Islamic sciences. This familial and local educational atmosphere was one of the fundamental factors shaping his later linguistic proficiency and intellectual inclinations.

Mirza Mehmet Efendi (Journal of the Faculty of Theology, Ankara University)

Education and Meeting Hellmut Ritter (1940–1950)

After completing his primary and secondary education Sezgin moved to Istanbul where he initially considered studying mathematics. However his academic direction changed after attending seminars by the German orientalist Hellmut Ritter at the Faculty of Letters of Istanbul University. Influenced by Ritter Sezgin turned to Arabic-Persian philology and focused intensely on manuscripts dedicating long hours each day to learning Arabic and examining handwritten texts. Ritter’s mentorship played a critical role in shaping Sezgin’s interest in the history of science.

Doctorate First Academic Appointments and Years in Ankara (1947–1953)

Sezgin graduated from the Department of Arabic-Persian Philology at Istanbul University in 1947 and prepared his doctoral thesis on the work Mecâzu’l-Kur’ân by Abu Ubayda Maʿmer ibn al-Musanna; the thesis was published in Cairo. In 1950 he became a candidate assistant at the Chair of Dogmatic Sciences at the Faculty of Theology Ankara University. During the same years he participated in the preparations for the XXII International Congress of Orientalists held in Istanbul. In 1954 he completed his doctorate with the thesis Buhârî’nin Kaynakları in which he demonstrated that al-Bukhari’s hadith compilation tradition was grounded in written sources. During this period he also obtained the title of associate professor at Istanbul University and engaged in academic dialogue with prominent figures of the era such as Zeki Velidi Togan.

Fuat Sezgin’s Handwritten Note (Journal of the Faculty of Theology, Ankara University)

Istanbul Period Associate Professorship and Manuscript Surveys (1950s)

The manuscript collections and academic environment in Istanbul formed the core of the historical project Sezgin would later develop. During this period he identified gaps in Carl Brockelmann’s Geschichte der Arabischen Litteratur (GAL) and resolved to systematically classify the Arabic-Islamic scientific literature.

Departure from Türkiye Frankfurt and the Establishment of the Institute (1961–1982)

Following the 27 May 1960 coup Sezgin was removed from his university position due to his inclusion among the “147” academics targeted by the military regime. In 1961 he moved to Germany where he continued his research at Goethe University Frankfurt rising from guest associate professor to full professor. In 1978 he received the King Faisal International Prize for Islamic Studies. In 1982 the Institut für Geschichte der Arabisch-Islamischen Wissenschaften (Institute for the History of Arabic-Islamic Sciences) was established under Sezgin’s leadership within Goethe University and began operations.

Family Life and Academic Collaboration

In 1966 he married the German orientalist Dr. Ursula Stein who became a close research partner in Sezgin’s scholarly work and played a major role in preparing his major publications. The couple had one daughter Hilal born in 1970.

Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin (Anadolu Agency)

Contributions to Türkiye Istanbul Museum and Final Years (2000s–2018)

Sezgin’s efforts to transfer his museum collections from Germany to Türkiye culminated in the opening of the Museum of the History of Islamic Science and Technology on 25 May 2008. The museum houses hundreds of models and replicas in fields such as astronomy navigation medicine chemistry and cartography. Sezgin passed away in Istanbul on 30 June 2018. His grave is located in Gülhane Park where the Museum of the History of Islamic Science and Technology is situated.

Foundations Institutes and Libraries

Sezgin’s institutional legacy in Türkiye was materialized in 2013 with the establishment of the Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin Institute for the History of Islamic Sciences and the Department of History of Science within Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakıf University. This institution continues to provide undergraduate graduate and doctoral education in the history of Islamic sciences.

Additionally the Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin Foundation for Research in the History of Islamic Sciences (İBTAV) which he helped found plays a central role in promoting the Islamic scientific heritage through facsimile publications museum projects and exhibitions. The Prof. Dr. Fuat and Ursula Sezgin Library of the History of Sciences in Gülhane Park is recognized as a critical reference center in the field of history of science with approximately 30 000 books and research collections.

Works Facsimiles and Museums

Geschichte des Arabischen Schrifttums (GAS)

One of Sezgin’s major works Geschichte des Arabischen Schrifttums (GAS) is a seventeen-volume comprehensive study first published in 1967. It systematically categorizes Arabic manuscripts by discipline to reveal the scientific legacy of Islamic civilization. Volumes cover fields such as Qur’anic studies hadith jurisprudence history medicine astronomy chemistry mathematics and cartography.

Other Works

Buhârî’nin Kaynakları the edition of Mecâzu’l-Kur’ân catalogues of Science and Technology in Islam and the work The Pre-Columbian Discovery of the American Continent by Muslim Mariners form a broad scholarly corpus. He also published over a hundred articles catalogues and facsimiles contributing significantly to the preservation of rare texts.

Museums and Material Legacy

• Frankfurt Museum of the History of Arabic-Islamic Sciences (1983): The collection consisting of over 800 reconstructed scientific instruments is recognized as a global benchmark in its field.

• Istanbul Museum of the History of Islamic Science and Technology (2008): Aims to display the development of Islamic science through approximately 570 instruments models and replicas. It is regarded as Türkiye’s first comprehensive museum of the history of science.

Ist International Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin Symposium on the History of Islamic Sciences (Republic of Türkiye Presidency)

2019 “Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin Year” — Nationwide Events in Türkiye

By Presidential Circular (2018/6) the year 2019 was declared “Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin Year”. Under the coordination of İBTAV and Kırıkkale University a wide range of nationwide events were organized.

Istanbul University Events

• 27 February 2019: Conference “The Life and Works of Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin” (Prof. Dr. Ahmet Suphi Furat).
• 2 May 2019: Panel “History of Islamic Social Sciences”.
• 5 March 2019: The Congress and Culture Center was named after Fuat Sezgin.
• Between April and November 2019 exhibitions workshops “GAS Readings” and museum visits were held.

Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakıf University Events

From 13 to 15 June 2019 the Ist International Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin Symposium on the History of Islamic Sciences was held under the patronage of the Presidency. This symposium jointly organized by Istanbul University FSMVÜ and İBTAV examined Sezgin’s contributions to the history of science at an academic level.

Other Universities and Nationwide Events

Throughout 2019 numerous universities named their libraries lecture halls or special journal issues after Sezgin. Panels documentary screenings exhibitions technical tours and student workshops extended Sezgin’s scientific legacy across a broad academic base.

Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin (Anadolu Agency)

In summary Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin’s legacy is evaluated at three levels:

1. Academic: His scholarly works including Geschichte des Arabischen Schrifttums.

2. Institutional: His role in institutionalizing the field through the Frankfurt Institute İBTAV and the FSMVÜ Institute.

3. Material/Public: His efforts to bring the historical dimension of science into public consciousness through museums libraries and exhibitions.

The initiatives undertaken in Sezgin’s name since 2019 are regarded as evidence that the goal of documenting and promoting the place of Islamic sciences in human history continues to be discussed and debated within academic circles in Türkiye and globally.