Zeki Sayar
1905, Istanbul
- 14.01.2001, Istanbul
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Turkish architect.
In 1928 he graduated from the Architectural Department of the . After working for the Technical Board of Istanbul Province he began working in 1930 for the Fine Arts Union, gaining a place on the Board, and was also head of the Department of Architecture. In 1931, with Abidin Mortas and A. Ziya Kozanoglu, he began to publish the “Mimar” journal. In 1935 the name was changed to Arkitekt. He published it with Abidin Mortas until 1941 and then by himself until 1980, a total of 50 years. In 1939 he was an assistant teacher at the State Fine Arts Academy. Between 1942 and 1950 he was consultant architect for the Istanbul Branch of the Bank of Turkey and the Mensucat Santral Factories. From 1944 to 1950 he worked for the Istanbul Public Council during the 4th and 5th election periods on the Building and Budget Commissions. From 1945 to 1948 he was head of the Istanbul branch of the Turkish Architects’ Union. Until 1950 he worked on the Board of Trustees for the Istanbul branch of the Union. In 1954 he was a founder member of the Chamber of Architects. In 1972 he was given an honorary doctorate by the Istanbul State Fine Arts Academy Board of Representatives for his work in making Turkish architecture and Plastic Arts known both within and outside of Turkey. In 1981 the Chamber of Architects presented him with a commemorative plaque and in 1988, on the occasion of the International Architects Exhibition, he was given a special award for his professional services, again by the Chamber of Architects.
From 1931 to 1975, Sayar constructed many buildings, mainly villas and apartments and won various prizes for his projects. His most important role, following the period of the early Republic, was in keeping his journal published in spite of everything. It was through his efforts that Mimar, first published in 1931, but called Arkitekt following the language reforms of 1935, continued publication until 1980. At first, Mortas and Kozanoglu dealt with obtaning articles and publishing them, the first editor being Mortas and Sayar dealt with the finances. However, a year later Kozanoglu was sent to Adana and Mortas left for Ankara in 1941 so Sayar had to continue the journal on his own. Subsequently, in the editorial pages he drew attention to all the problems faced by professional architects in Turkey and recommended solutions to them. Sayar’s stated aim in publishing this journal was to make known to the state the existence of local architecture and Turkish architects, and to introduce architects to each other. By sending the journal to all the offices of municipalities and provincial governors, Sayar introduced them to Turkish architects and so had a hand in obtaining work for them. However, more importantly, his journal was instrumental in bringing a professional consciousness to the education and training of a new generation of architects.
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Resource :
E. Altan Ergut; “Zeki Sayar”, Mimarlik, v.300, p. 14, Ankara, 2001.
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