This article was automatically translated from the original Turkish version.
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Turkish Republic Postal and Telegraph Organization (PTT) is one of Türkiye’s most enduring institutions, a public entity providing services in postal, courier, logistics, and banking sectors. Established in 1840, it played a critical role in Türkiye’s national independence struggle and has built a communication legacy spanning to the present day. This historical development was shaped by the impacts of the industrial revolution, wars, economic policies, and technological innovations, integrating postal, telegraph, and telephone services to transform Türkiye’s communication infrastructure.
PTT Logo < (PTT)
As part of the Tanzimat reform movement, the Ministry of Posts was established on 23 October 1840 to meet the postal needs of all Ottoman citizens and foreigners. The first post office, named Postahane-i Amire, opened in the courtyard of the New Mosque in Istanbul; its first officials appointed were Süleyman Ağa (tax collector) and Sofyalı Ağyazar (translator). Postal transport relied on animals and temporary structures, while communication remained a state monopoly. To fulfill this duty, personnel such as sai, ulak, tatar, çapar, and berid were employed.
Telegraph technology, invented in 1843, was introduced to the Ottoman Empire in 1855, leading to the creation of the Directorate of Telegraphs. The first employees were of Italian and French origin, and correspondence was conducted in Latin script and French. To address the need for local staff, the Fünûn-ı Telgrafiye Mektebi was opened in 1861 but closed after two terms; it was reopened in 1872 and provided nine years of practical training. Galatasaray High School and Darüşşafaka also offered telegraph instruction.
In 1871, the Ministry of Posts and the Directorate of Telegraphs were merged to form the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs. An international postal network was established in 1876; parcel and remittance (money transfer) services began in 1901. Telephone services were integrated on 23 May 1909 with the opening of Istanbul’s first manual switchboard, and the institution became the Ministry of Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones. In 1913, it was restructured as the General Directorate of Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones.
During World War I and the War of Independence, the telegraph assumed strategic importance; foreign post offices were closed in 1914 and communications were nationalized. This period symbolized the emergence of an organization previously managed by Levantine families, now aligning with Western advancements.
Historical Postal Uniforms (AA)
With the opening of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye in 1920, the General Directorate of Posts and Telegraphs became the backbone of communication during the National Struggle. In 1923 parliamentary debates emphasized the renewal of telegraph schools. In 1924, Law No. 406 on Telephones and Telegraphs expanded telephone infrastructure; PTT was divided into 13 regions under the Ministry of Interior. In 1933, it was placed under the Ministry of Public Works as a budgetary administration; in 1939, it was transferred to the Ministry of Transport. In 1944, the Postal Vocational School opened with boarding education at high school level (accounting, telegraph, postal services), but was closed in 1953 due to cost-saving measures.
The Democrat Party (DP) administration (1950–1960) transformed PTT into a modern organization in parallel with postwar technologies. Under Law No. 3613, it was attached to the Ministry of Transport; telex innovations diminished the role of telegraph while telephone services gained prominence. The Ankara Training Center opened in 1968, followed by centers in Istanbul, İzmir, Trabzon, Antalya, and Diyarbakır. In 1984, by Emergency Decree No. 233, PTT was granted the status of a Public Economic Enterprise (KİK). This period brought improvements across all communication sectors compared to the early Republican years; from the National Struggle (1920–1923) to DP investments (1950–1960), PTT became a symbol of national independence.
By Law No. 4000 dated 18 June 1994, PTT was split into the General Directorate of Turkish Postal Services and Türk Telekomünikasyon A.Ş.; the Postal Services Directorate began independent operations on 24 April 1995. In the same year, remittance and postal check operations were automated. In 1999, a collection partnership was established with Garanti Bank (Körfezbank). On 29 January 2000, Law No. 4502 changed its name to the General Directorate of the Turkish Republic Postal and Telegraph Organization. In 2004, PTTBank was officially registered. On 1 November 2011, by Emergency Decree No. 655, the ministry was renamed the Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications. On 23 May 2013, by Law No. 6475 on Postal Services, it was restructured as the Postal and Telegraph Organization Joint Stock Company (PTT A.Ş.), with capital increased to 5 billion TL.
On 5 February 2017, its capital was transferred to the Türkiye Wealth Fund. On 9 July 2018, by Emergency Decree No. 703, the ministry became the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure. In 2018, the Integrated Management System (ISO 9001, 14001, etc.) and PTT Logistics (B2B domestic/international) were established.
PTT, in its journey from Ottoman modernization (1840) to its transformation into a joint stock company (2013), represents the transition from the industrial revolution to the digital age. Postwar investments strengthened infrastructure; education programs (from Fünûn-ı Telgrafiye to associate degrees) produced qualified labor; privatization endowed it with a competitive structure.
Historical Postal Uniforms (Photo: Elif LAÇİN)
PTT’s educational activities have continued the tradition established in the Ottoman era. Influenced by the Industrial Revolution, economic developments felt in the 1840s brought industrial investments to Istanbul and other regions, leading to the opening of numerous factories and a shortage of skilled labor. To address this gap, technical schools offering vocational training were established. Before the Republic, the labor shortage in the Telegraph Organization was met by the Fünûn-ı Telgrafiye Mektebi, Sultani Mektebi (Galatasaray High School), and Darüşşafaka High School. After the Republic, this need was addressed through the Postal Vocational School and the Postal Services Program.
The Postal Vocational School, opened in 1944, provided boarding education at the high school level and closed in 1953. In the 1960s, in-service training centers became widespread; the Ankara Training Center opened in 1968, followed by centers in Istanbul, İzmir, Trabzon, Antalya, and Diyarbakır. In 2009, the Postal Services Program began at the associate degree level, initially in Osmaniye and Erzincan. PTT partnered with universities, provided barcode readers and computer equipment, and assigned instructors.
The program is now offered at 24 different universities. The removal of minimum score thresholds significantly increased student enrollment. The program aims to meet PTT’s workforce needs for postal and courier distribution; graduates may be employed as postal workers or counter staff and may also work for courier companies.
PTT was restructured as the Postal and Telegraph Organization Joint Stock Company (PTT A.Ş.) under Law No. 6475 dated 23 May 2013. The company’s commercial name is Postal and Telegraph Organization Joint Stock Company, with registration number 360706. Its operational headquarters is in Ankara. Its tax office is Ankara Corporate Tax Office, with tax number 732 006 8060.
By Council of Ministers Decision dated 5 February 2017, its entire capital was transferred from the Ministry of Treasury to the Türkiye Wealth Fund. It operates under the provisions of Law No. 3346 dated 2 April 1987.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors is Mükremin Kara. The Deputy Chairman of the Board is Hakan Gülten, who also serves as General Manager. Board members are Mehmet Aktaş, Emrah Yoğurtçu, and Bilal Bedir.
The Chair of the PTT A.Ş. Ethics Committee is Ekrem Acar (Deputy General Manager); members are Gürhan Çal (Director of Guidance and Inspection), Arif Örslü (First Legal Advisor), and Osman İnce (Director of Human Resources).
PTT’s vision is to become a competitive and leading global logistics service provider. Its mission is to ensure customer satisfaction by meeting needs and expectations, efficiently utilizing natural resources, protecting the environment through a zero-waste approach, safeguarding employee health, effectively managing information assets, enhancing energy efficiency, managing risks, complying with legal obligations, and internalizing management system culture.
Dr. Hakan Gülten was born in Uşak in 1982. He completed his primary and secondary education in Denizli and graduated from Yıldız Technical University’s Department of Industrial Engineering in 2005. He earned his master’s degree from the same university in 2009 and his doctorate in 2024.
Gülten began his professional career in 2008 at İSBAK A.Ş., a subsidiary of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, where he held positions as international trade expert, ERP manager, strategy development specialist, and quality manager. From 2014 to 2016, he served as a faculty member in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Nişantaşı University. From 2016 to 2018, he was Deputy General Manager at İBB BELBİM A.Ş.
Dr. Hakan Gülten (PTT)
In December 2018, he was appointed as Head of Subsidiaries and Deputy General Manager at PTT A.Ş., and simultaneously assumed the role of Board Member at PTT Para Lojistik ve Özel Güvenlik Hizmetleri A.Ş. On 7 January 2020, he was appointed General Manager of PTT A.Ş., became a Board Member on 27 March 2020, and was named Deputy Chairman of the Board on 28 April 2021. Additionally, he served as Chairman of the Administrative Council of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), representing 192 member countries, until 27 August 2021.
Dr. Hakan Gülten continues to serve as General Manager of PTT A.Ş., contributing strategic and innovative projects that strengthen the institution’s international standing. Fluent in English, Gülten has conducted research in academic leadership, institutional culture, logistics, and supply chain management; published articles on career planning in human resource management; and presented papers at various national and international conferences.
Since 2018, PTT has implemented the Integrated Management System, which unifies quality, customer satisfaction, occupational health and safety, environmental, information security, and energy efficiency management. The policy commits to customer orientation, environmental protection, risk management, and continuous improvement. It encompasses the ISO 9001, ISO 10002, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 27001, and ISO 50001 standards, achieving cost reduction, synergy, and savings.
Services include postal, banking (remittance, accounts, Pttkart, Pttmatik, collection, payment, HGS, insurance), courier, and other commercial operations. PTT Logistics has provided domestic and international B2B logistics since 2018, handling transportation, warehouse management, and freight transport.
Among its certifications are L2, TİO, C3, T1/TR guarantee, IATA, FIATA, and YYS status.
Journey of Management Systems (PTT)
PTT and Türk Telekom Foundation (short name: PTT Foundation) was established on 31 December 1974 under the Turkish Civil Code as the “PTT Personnel Pensioners, Widows and Orphans Health, Social and Cultural Services Mutual Aid Foundation,” and began operations after publication in the Official Gazette No. 15153 on 18 February 1975. Its name was later changed to “PTT and Türk Telekom Foundation.”
The foundation’s purpose is to foster mutual aid and solidarity among its members by providing health, social, and cultural services. To achieve this goal, the foundation collects dues from its members.
In line with its founding objectives, the foundation provides monthly interest-free repayable higher education support to children pursuing higher education, marriage assistance based on membership seniority when a member or their child marries, and cash assistance introduced in November 2011. Additionally, unconditional support is provided for birth, marriage/wedding, natural disaster, death, and retirement, as stipulated in its regulations.
Other objectives of the foundation include educational support for members’ children, circumcision assistance, death benefits for surviving spouses/children/parents, aid in case of natural disasters (fire, flood, earthquake, avalanche, landslide), establishment of student dormitories, operation of retirement homes for pensioners, birth assistance, compensation for work-related disabilities, construction of health facilities, insurance, opening of camps, guesthouses, clubs, and nurseries, organization of blood and organ donation, support for sewing/embroidery/knitting/weaving machines for underprivileged members, publication of magazines/brochures/lotteries, opening of consumer stores, cash and in-kind assistance, housing financing, driver training courses, insurance brokerage, real estate purchase/sale/construction/operation, corporate partnerships, bond and share purchases, commercial activities, and similar social/cultural/educational aid.
PTT publishes PTT Hayat, PTT Çocuk, PTT Bülten, and PTT Tech. These magazines provide content on PTT’s cultural and institutional world for its readers.
The PTT Philately Museum, opened to the public in 2013 after the restoration of the historically significant National Property and Orphan Bank building in Ankara’s Ulus district, represents not merely a change in building function but the public presentation of Türkiye’s postal and communication heritage.
PTT Philately Museum (AA)
The museum’s collection features a diverse range of artifacts illuminating different periods of postal history. Visitors can examine stamps from the Ottoman and Republican eras, as well as thematic stamps centered on Atatürk, history, tourism, nature, sports, vehicles, and cultural heritage. Special stamps designed for children, worldwide stamps from various countries, postcards, and first-day and commemorative envelopes are also on display.
The museum is not merely an exhibition space but an interactive, multifunctional cultural venue. Game screens, cinema and multipurpose halls, dedicated workshop areas, and exhibition halls support the building’s dynamic structure. A café for visitors to rest and retail areas offering various philatelic products complete the museum experience.
As a center documenting and preserving postal culture from the past to the present, the PTT Philately Museum offers rich content to both stamp collectors and visitors interested in history and communication.
The PTT Istanbul Museum is located behind and beneath the New Post Office building, managed by the Istanbul PTT Regional Directorate under the Ministry of Transport. The museum consists of three main sections: Postal Services, Telegraph and Telephone, and Philately.
The Postal section displays various tools and equipment used in postal services since their inception on 23 October 1840. These include postal bags, central mail bags, postal boxes, maps showing postal routes, and modern automatic stamping machines still in use today.
The Telegraph and Telephone section exhibits devices used since the first telegraph line was established between Edirne and Şumnu on 9 September 1855. Devices such as the Mostar and Hük telegraph machines, electro-mechanical and electronic telem primor systems, various telephones, manual and automatic telephone exchanges, and telephones produced in PTT factories are on display.
The Philately section features collections of stamps spanning from the Ottoman Empire to the present day. This section serves as a visual archive of Türkiye’s postal history.
Historical Development
Ottoman Era: Modernization and Foundational Infrastructure (1840–1923)
Early Republican Years: Nationalization and Reorganization (1920–1950)
Democrat Party Era: Modernization and Growth (1950–1980)
Privatization and Institutional Transformation (1990–2013)
Current Period
PTT’s Educational Activities and Postal Services Program
Current Corporate Structure and Governance
General Manager
Integrated Management System and Services
PTT and Türk Telekom Foundation
Foundation’s Purpose and Service Areas
Other Activities and Assistance
Publications
Museums
PTT Philately Museum
PTT Istanbul Museum
