Ashraf AboArafe
The Turkish Embassy in Cairo hosted an Iftar for women on the occasion of March 8, International Women’s Day.
The Turkish Embassy in Cairo provided a brief explanation of 9 women who left their fingerprints in Turkish history during the Iftar held on March 8, International Women’s Day.
Ms. Ayşin Baltık Şen, the wife of the Turkish Ambassador in Cairo, Salih Mutlu Şen, organized an Iftar for women, researchers in the field of Turkish women and Egyptian journalists on the occasion of March 8, International Women’s Day.
During the event held at the Ambassador’s residence on the occasion of this special day, 9 women who left their mark on Turkish history were introduced: Zeynep Kamil Hanım, Princess Kadriye Huseyin, Emine Fuat Tocay, Şule Yüksel Şener, Cahide Soncu, Sabiha Gökçen, Halide Edip Adivar, Alef Alatlı and Fatma Alya Topuz. The event included an iftar table with many different dishes and desserts from Turkish cuisine.
In her speech at the event, Ayşen Baltık Şen expressed her happiness to meet the ladies at such an event on the occasion of March 8, International Women’s Day, and during the holy month of Ramadan, and said goodbye to the 9 valuable women who left their mark on Turkish history.
Turkish Women Who Left Their Mark on the Turkish Historical Scene:
1- Zeynep Kamil Hanım:
Zeynep Kamil Hanım (1828-1884) was the daughter of Kavalali Mehmet Ali Pasha, the ruler of Egypt and the founder of modern Egypt. She is known for her charitable works in Istanbul. Her most important charitable activity is the Zeynep Kamil Hospital, which she founded in Istanbul in 1862. Today the hospital operates under the name of Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Yusuf Kamil Pasha married Zeynep Hanım in Cairo when he was a clerk in the Chamber of Deputies under Muhammad Ali Pasha. After their forced divorce, they married again to Yusuf Kamil Pasha in Istanbul under the protection of the Sultan. Yusuf Kamil Pasha later became the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire. After his death, he was buried with his wife in a single grave in the garden of the same hospital in Istanbul. 2- Princess Kadriye Hussein:
Princess Kadriye Hussein (1888-1955) is the daughter of the Egyptian Sultan Hussein Kamil and one of the representatives of Ottoman Turkish literature in Egypt. She was among the “enlightened women” of the Tanzimat period, and attracted attention with her journalistic identity and fighting spirit. She has many works written in Turkish. “Famous Women” is one of them. He was a supporter of the Turkish national movement led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and wrote the book “Letters from Holy Ankara”. She has done important work for women’s rights in both Turkey and Egypt.
3- Emine Fuat Tocay:
Emine Fuat Tocay (1890-1975) is a world-famous painter and writer. She was born into a large family of Ottoman Turkish/Egyptian origin. One of her most important works is the book “Three Centuries – History of a Family in Egypt and Turkey” which sheds light on the shared Turkish-Egyptian history. In the 1950s, her husband was Hulusi Fuat Tocay who served as the Turkish ambassador to Cairo, and Emine Fuat Tocay lived in this building with her husband. He is also the grandson of the Egyptian governor Khedive Ismail Pasha and the Ottoman Grand Vizier Ghazi Ahmed Mukhtar Pasha.
4- Şule Yüksel Şener:
Şule Yüksel Şener (May 29, 1938 – August 28, 2019) (birth name Yüksel Şener) was a Turkish writer and journalist. Throughout her life, she worked and struggled to strengthen the position of conservative women in Turkish society. By the late 1960s, she had become a pioneering model for women’s participation in the public sphere. Her best-selling novel “Peace Street” was adapted into a film in Turkey under the name “Peace Street” and a TV series under the name “Peace Street”.
5- Cahide Soncu:
Cahide Soncu (1916-1981) is the first female Turkish film director. She began her film career in the 1930s and quickly became one of Turkey’s brightest stars. She also had a pioneering role in directing with the film “Vatan and Namık Kemal” which she directed in 1953. She paved the way for women in Turkish cinema. Her great influence is still felt in the film industry today.
6- Sabiha Gökçen:
Sabiha Gökçen (1913-2001) made history as the first female fighter pilot in the world. Gökçen is a symbol of Turkey’s modernization process, and was adopted by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founding leader of the Turkish Republic, and received military training in aviation. Through her active service in the Turkish Air Force, she proved that women can also have a presence in this field. Her inspiring legacy has led many women to pursue careers in aviation. Her name has been immortalized by naming the second airport on the Anatolian side of Istanbul.
7- Halide Edip Adivar:
Halide Edip Adivar (1884-1964) is a multi-skilled personality who is a writer, activist, politician, teacher and academic. Adivar, also known as “Corporal Halide”, is one of the most important realist novelists of the Republican period. In her works, she addressed women’s education and their place in society, and advocated women’s rights through her writings. Many of her novels have been adapted into cinematic and television works, and have been read with interest by a wide audience.
8- Elif Alatlı:
Elif Alatlı (1944-2023) is a prominent writer, economist, sociologist and thinker who has left a deep mark on the world of literature. Through her novels and essays, she has addressed issues of society, history and politics from different perspectives. With her strong expertise in economics and philosophy, she has made significant contributions to raising cultural awareness. Among the awards she has received are the Turkish Writers’ Union Novel Prize in 1986, the Aleksandrovich Solzhenitsyn Literary Prize in 2006, the Turkish Writers’ Union Honorary Award in 2012, and the Presidential Grand Prize for Culture and Arts in 2014. Her works still Turkey’s leading female novelists and thinkers. She fought for women’s rights and education and addressed social issues in her works. Her work “Lectures” is an important work that questions the traditional status of women in the late Ottoman period. As a mark of respect for her ideas and legacy and to honor her, her image has been featured on the 50 lira banknotes of the Republic of Turkey since 2009.
