An Ottoman Intellectual: Ahmet Vefik Paşa

Having spent 46 years of his life that lasted approximately 70 years as an ambassador, a governor, a parliament president, and a prime minister, one of the most important modernization names during the Reform Era, Ahmet Vefik Pasha is a rare figure having many qualifications such as a statesman, a bureaucrat, an author, and a translator. Besides Ahmet Vefik Pasha, who attracts attention to his studies in language and history, is a prominent representative of Nationalism and Turkism. He is a prominent Turcologist that has very important contributions to Turkish Language and Literature. Ahmet Vefik Pasha preferred to use a pure language while writing all of his works. In theatrical works, he mostly preferred to use public language and he utilized proverbs and idioms as well. In this study, the role of Ahmet Vefik Pasha in Turkish Modernization is scrutinized. At the outset the westernization movements in the Ottoman Empire have been examined until 19th Century. Next, starting with his personality and his life, his family, his environment in which he grew up, the schools he attended, and his education have been examined. Lastly, his works, his scientific studies, his plays, and his romans have been analyzed. In addition, his language simplification studies and his Works of Ottoman Dialect have been examined. Unfortunately, although he has numerous outstanding qualities, he was not appreciated in his lifetime and underestimated and devalued by the Ottoman bureaucracy due to the intrigues and jealousy during the *second half of the 19th century. His passing away in his mansion as someone in awful need and even his huge library being sold for his depts is an indication of this faithless era. No matter how the works of Ahmet Vefik Pasha have been viewed as ordinary works of arts, in terms of their historical importance and their contributions to Turkish modernization are of utmost important. As a result, conscious Turkism can said to have started with him.