Efforts to establish a modern university (Dârülfünûn) in Türkiye began in the 19th century. Initiated at an intellectual level in 1846, these efforts culminated in the establishment of Dârülfünûn in 1863. However, this initial attempt was short-lived. A subsequent effort in 1870 proved more successful but ultimately came to an end in 1873. During this three-year university experiment, one of the limited courses offered was Literature, taught by the renowned educator Selim Sabit Efendi. His role as the instructor for this course, delivered over three years, represents the foundational moment for what would later become the Department of Turkish Language and Literature. Selim Sabit Efendi is thus considered the department’s first lecturer. 

After a 27-year hiatus, Istanbul University was reestablished in 1900 under the name Dârülfünûn-ı Şâhane during the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid II. Unlike the earlier attempts, this iteration of Dârülfünûn marked the beginning of a continuous and uninterrupted educational journey. One of its faculties was the Faculty of Literature, where the Ottoman Literature course, taught by Mehmed Ata Bey until 1908, became a cornerstone of the curriculum.

The transformative changes following the proclamation of the Second Constitutional Monarchy significantly influenced the Faculty of Literature. During this period, the Literature course evolved into an independent department and was further subdivided into four areas: Ottoman Literature, Turkish Literature, History of Literature, and Linguistics. Renowned poets and writers of the era, including Mehmet Akif Ersoy, Rıza Tevfik Bölükbaşı, Faik Reşad Bey, Halit Ziya Uşaklıgil, Ahmet Hikmet Müftüoğlu, Ali Ekrem Bolayır, Yahya Kemal Beyatlı, and Cenap Şahabeddin, were among those who taught in the department during this period.

With the implementation of the 1912 regulation, further adjustments were made to the curriculum within the Department of Literature. The primary courses offered included Turkish Literature, History of Turkish Literature, Aesthetics, Arabic Literature, and Persian Literature.

Viewing literary studies through a historical lens has been a foundational approach of the Department of Turkish Language and Literature at Istanbul University Faculty of Letters. Mehmet Fuat Köprülü was instrumental in establishing this approach on a scientific basis. His 1913 article, Method in the History of Turkish Literature, published in Bilgi magazine, drew from Gustave Lanson’s Méthodes de L’histoire Littéraire (Method in the History of Literature). This work marked a significant breakthrough not only in literary history but also in social sciences in Türkiye, introducing methodological rigor. That same year, Köprülü began teaching History of Turkish Literature courses in the department, a role he maintained for many years.

The 1915-1916 academic year marked the introduction of the German university system at Istanbul University. The Faculty of Literature was reorganized into departments of Literature, Philosophy, History, and Geography, with additional lecturers recruited from Germany. Wilhelm Friedrich Carl Giese, a Ural-Altaic languages specialist from the Berlin School of Oriental Languages, became the department’s first foreign lecturer. Significant reforms included the introduction of structured curricula, the division of courses into theoretical and practical components, an increase in course offerings, and the requirement for students to prepare a graduation thesis (mütalaa name). Additionally, a doctorate program (icazet ruusu) and semester-based systems were introduced, aligning the university with modern academic practices.

One challenge faced by students in the Department of Turkish Language and Literature during the Second Constitutional Monarchy period was the scarcity of textbooks. Lecture notes taken during courses were often converted into books, though these publications were insufficient to meet the growing needs. Students also published lecture notes from their instructors in response to this gap.

Although the department primarily focused on Turkish Language and Literature, it also offered courses on the histories of Persian and Arabic literatures as well as French, English, and German literatures. In 1922, Türkiye’s first Doctor of Literature graduated from the department. Ali Nihat (Tarlan) Bey defended his thesis, “The Mesnevi of Leyla and Majnun in Islamic Literature,” on December 10, 1922, earning the title of “doctor.”

The Republican period brought significant reforms to Istanbul University, particularly in 1933. The Department of Turkish Language and Literature was renamed Turkology. This reform involved the dismissal of some professors and the recruitment of new faculty, alongside a curriculum shift emphasizing language-based courses over literature-based ones.

In 1939, the department introduced a second literature course, 19th Century History of Turkish Literature, taught by the esteemed poet and writer Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar. The department’s first scientific journal, Journal of Turkish Language and Literature (TUDED), was launched in 1946 and still continues to be indexed nationally and internationally.

Subsequent organizational changes occurred in 1981 under the Higher Education Law, replacing the certificate system with a “Main Department” structure. The main disciplines established were:

• Department of Old Turkic

• Department of Modern Turkish

• Department of Classical Turkish Literature

• Department of Modern Turkish Literature

In 1996, the addition of the Department of Turkish Folk Literature increased the number of main disciplines to five.

Currently, students complete compulsory courses in their first two semesters, followed by a combination of elective and required courses from the third semester onward. They can also enroll in courses from other departments within the faculty to align with their interests. Student clubs, supported by the department, play a vital role in fostering students’ academic and social development.

As of 2016, Prof. Dr. Ali Şükrü Çoruk has served as the Head of the Department of Turkish Language and Literature. By 2024, the department boasts a total of 34 faculty members, including 10 professors, 5 associate professors, 14 doctoral faculty members, and 5 research