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| Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu |
| Birth date | 26 December 1943 |
| Birth place | Cairo, Kingdom of Egypt |
| Nationality | Turkey |
| Occupation | Chemist, Historian, Diplomat, Politician |
| Alma mater | Istanbul University, Cairo University, University of London |
| Known for | Former Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, 2014 Turkish presidential election candidate |
Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu is a Turkish academic, diplomat and politician noted for his work on the history of science, Islamic civilization, and international relations among Muslim world institutions. He served as Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and was the joint opposition candidate in the 2014 Turkish presidential election. İhsanoğlu’s career spans roles in higher education administration, scholarly publishing, and multilateral diplomacy across Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Born in Cairo to a family of Bosniak and Syrian origin, İhsanoğlu completed early schooling in Istanbul before studying at Cairo University and Istanbul University. He pursued graduate studies in London at the University of London and received training that combined chemistry laboratory methods with historical-philological study of manuscripts from Ottoman Empire and Mamluk Sultanate archives. His doctoral work engaged sources from the Islamic Golden Age and libraries associated with the Topkapı Palace Museum and Süleymaniye Library.
İhsanoğlu held professorial and administrative positions at institutions including Istanbul Technical University, Ankara University, and the University of Aleppo extension programs, publishing on topics intersecting chemistry and the history of Islamic science. He founded and directed the Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA), an affiliate of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, overseeing conservation projects with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and collaboration with the British Library and Bibliothèque nationale de France. His academic work engaged manuscript cataloguing initiatives involving the Süleymaniye Library, Topkapı Palace Museum, and the manuscript collections of Cairo's Al-Azhar and Dar al-Kutub.
As a diplomat and international civil servant, İhsanoğlu served as Secretary-General of IRCICA before his election as Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), where he liaised with member states including Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, and Pakistan. In that capacity he engaged with the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union, and regional organizations such as the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council. He chaired high-level meetings with leaders from Malaysia, Indonesia, Morocco, Jordan, and Azerbaijan on cultural heritage, counter-extremism, and scientific cooperation, coordinating memoranda of understanding with the World Health Organization and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Entering partisan politics, İhsanoğlu was nominated jointly by the Republican People's Party and the Nationalist Movement Party for the 2014 Turkish presidential election, contesting the incumbent candidate from the Justice and Development Party. His candidacy involved campaign events across Ankara, Istanbul, and provincial capitals, debates with representatives of the AKP and interactions with international observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Council of Europe. Although unsuccessful against the AKP-backed candidate, his campaign highlighted ties to Kemalist and Turkish nationalism constituencies and drew commentary from figures associated with Fethullah Gülen-linked networks and secularist intellectual circles.
İhsanoğlu authored and edited numerous works on history of science, manuscript studies, and Islamic civilization, publishing monographs and edited volumes in collaboration with publishers and institutions such as IRCICA, Cambridge University Press, and Brill. His scholarship includes catalogues of Ottoman and Arabic manuscripts, studies on scientists from the Abbasid Caliphate and scholars tied to the House of Wisdom, and analyses of Muslim intellectual networks connecting Andalusia, Persia, and Central Asia. He contributed to multidisciplinary projects with the British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Islamic art and scientific instruments.
İhsanoğlu received honours from states and academic institutions, including decorations from Turkey, Morocco, and Azerbaijan, honorary doctorates from universities in Malaysia and Kazakhstan, and awards from cultural bodies such as UNESCO and the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization. He was elected to academies and learned societies including national academies in Turkey and membership roles in international bodies linked to the International Union of History and Philosophy of Science and the World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists.
İhsanoğlu is married with children and has resided in Istanbul and Jeddah during periods of service with IRCICA and the OIC. His legacy is reflected in strengthened manuscript preservation programs, institutional networks between the Muslim world and Western cultural organizations, and a body of scholarship bridging scientific history and cultural diplomacy. Successors in IRCICA and the OIC, scholars at Istanbul University, and cultural heritage institutions in Cairo and Istanbul continue work rooted in initiatives he championed.
Category:Turkish politicians Category:Turkish diplomats Category:Historians of science