Prof. Dr. Tufan Gündüz is an academic, author, and screenwriter known for his prolific contributions to history, literature, and television in Türkiye. His academic research on Ottoman, Safavid, and Turkmen history, along with his historical novels and screenwriting contributions, has left a significant impact in both academic and cultural spheres.

He was born on 11 May 1964 in the Tomarza district of Kayseri. After completing his primary and secondary education in Kayseri, he graduated from the Department of History Teaching at Gazi University’s Gazi Faculty of Education in 1987. He completed his master’s degree in 1991 and his doctoral degree in 1996 at the Institute of Social Sciences of Gazi University, Department of General Turkish History, with a thesis titled “Bozulus Turkmen Tribes (1540–1640).”

Gündüz began his academic career as an assistant at Gazi University and was promoted to faculty member in 2000. He became an associate professor in 2006 and a full professor in 2011. He served as a faculty member at Hacettepe University’s Institute of Turkish Studies and was dean of the Army War College at the National Defense University from 2017 until his departure from the position in 2019.

Prof. Dr. Tufan Gündüz’s academic work primarily focuses on Turkmen tribes in Anatolia during the 16th and 17th centuries, Safavid history, and migrations from Bosnia-Herzegovina into Ottoman territories. He has supervised numerous doctoral and master’s theses in these fields.

In addition, his research encompasses Ottoman-Iran relations, the history of Shia communities, Bektashi tekkes, nomadic lifestyles, and Ottoman palace organization.

Prof. Dr. Gündüz has published numerous books at both academic and popular levels. Some of his most notable works include:

• Anadolu’da Türkmen Aşiretleri/Bozulus Türkmenleri 1540-1640, Istanbul 2008.
• XVII. ve XVIII. Yüzyıllarda Danişmendlü Türkmenleri, Istanbul 2005.
• Bozkırın Efendileri, Türkmenler Üzerine Makaleler, Istanbul 2009.
• Son Kızılbaş Şah İsmail, Istanbul 2010.
• Allah’ın Askerleri Bosna, Boşnakların Osmanlı Topraklarına Göçleri 1878-1912, Istanbul 2012.
• Kızılbaşlar, Osmanlılar, Safevîler, Istanbul 2015.
• Büyük Olayların Kısa Tarihi I-II, Istanbul 2015.
• Oğuz Kağan Destanı, Istanbul 2017.
• Kur’an ve Kılıç, Türkler Nasıl Müslüman Oldu?, Istanbul 2018.
• Tarih Bizi Çağırıyor (with Pelin Çift), Istanbul 2018.
• Dede Korkut Destanları, Istanbul 2018.
• Türklerin Kısa Tarihi, Istanbul 2022.
• Kızıl Elma, Istanbul 2023.

• Josaphat Barbaro, Travels in Anatolia and Iran, Istanbul 2005.
• Uzun Hasan: Venetian Envoys in the East during the Conquest of Fatih, Travelogues of Caterino Zeno and Ambrogio Contarini, Istanbul 2006.
• Sultans and Wars Through the Eyes of Travelers, Giovanni Maria Angiolello, A Venetian Merchant, and Vincenzo D’Alessandri’s Travelogues, Istanbul 2007.
• Oruç Bey Bayat, A Shia-Catholic Encounter, Travelogue of Oruç Bey Bayat, Istanbul 2014.
• Anonim, History of the Kızılbaş / Tarih-i Kızılbaşan, Istanbul 2015.

• Nisan’ın İki Günü, Istanbul 2011.
• Bedel, Taht-ı Al-i Baht-ı Osmanî, Istanbul 2020.
• Bozoğlan’ın Hikâyeleri, Istanbul 2022.
• Tac Mahal’in Mumları, Istanbul 2024.

• Bozoklar. TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi
• Kahramanmaraş 1. Bölüm. TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi
• Kars. TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi
• Konar Göçer. TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi
• Safeviler / 1. Bölüm. TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi
• Şah. TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi
• Şah İsmail / 1. Bölüm. TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi
• Tahmasb. TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi
• Tekeleü. TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi

In addition to his academic career, Gündüz has been active in literature and television. His 2011 novel Nisan’ın İki Günü deals with the period of the First World War; the stage play adaptation, Bir İnce Sızı: Nisan 1915, was performed by the State Theatres. He also served as the screenwriter for the television series “Yamak Ahmet,” which focuses on Ottoman palace and folk life.

Gündüz’s papers have been presented at academic symposia held in Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Bulgaria. His presentations on the Safavids, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Oghuz, and Ottoman administrative structures have contributed to international historical research.

His work has earned him numerous awards. He received the Nazilli Türk Ocağı Süleyman Efendi Service to Turkish Culture Award in 2015 and the Selçuklu Vakfı Halil İnalcık History Award in 2018. In 2016, he was awarded the Hasan Ferit Cansever Turkish Hearth Art Gift Award.