One of Istanbul’s oldest educational institutions, now known as the Burhan Felek Anatolian High School, continues its educational journey after 179 years, having operated under different names and in various buildings since it was established in Üsküdar in 1847.

The school began its history in 1847 as Mülkiye Mekteb-i Rüşdiyesi at the Hacı Selim Ağa School in central Üsküdar, becoming one of five rüştiyes, Ottoman-era secondary schools that provided education beyond the primary level, established in Istanbul when the rüştiye system was introduced.

The institution was renamed Üsküdar Rüşdiye Mektebi in 1852 and later took several different names as it moved between neighborhoods and buildings.

After moving to Toptaşı, the school relocated to its current neighborhood in 1867 and continued its activities in the Müşirlik Dairesi.

It became known as Üsküdar Atik Rüşdiye Mektebi in 1872 and Üsküdar Doğancılar Rüşdiye Mektebi in 1880 before taking the name Üsküdar Merkez Rüşdiyesi in 1888.

From rüştiye to high school

The school underwent another major transformation in 1875, when the Paşakapısı Military Rüşdiye was established on its grounds during the reign of Sultan Abdülaziz to train officers for the army and navy.

In 1893, the institution became Üsküdar Idadisi, taking on the role of preparing students for higher education.

Following the Second Constitutional Era, the school was converted into a sultani and renamed Üsküdar Mekteb-i Sultanisi in 1913.

The school faced some of its most difficult years during the Balkan Wars, World War I and the Turkish War of Independence.

After the Balkan Wars, its building was used as a hospital, forcing education to continue temporarily in a mansion in Paşalimanı before the school moved to the Paşakapısı Mülkiye Rüştiyesi building.

During the mobilization period, eight teachers and 43 students were sent to the front. Three teachers and 26 students were killed, while some of the survivors were unable to complete their education because of military service.

The school did not produce graduates between 1917 and 1922 because there were no students enrolled at the high school level.

School loses historic building in fire

The institution suffered another setback after the Armistice of Mudros, when Istanbul was occupied by the Allied forces. Its wooden building was destroyed in a fire in 1918, forcing the school to move to the Mal Hatun School building, later known as Paşakapısı.

The school was renamed Üsküdar Erkek Lisesi in 1923 and converted into Üsküdar 1st Middle School the following year. High school education was restored in 1925 through the efforts of then-principal Mehmet Emin Bey and teachers who worked without pay for a year, but the institution returned to middle-school status in 1929 due to rising enrollment and limited space.

Girls were admitted for the first time in 1931, turning the school into a mixed middle school. It moved to its current historic building in 1935 and was later known as Paşakapısı Middle School.

The institution returned to high school status in stages, beginning with the establishment of Üsküdar Evening High School during the 1968-1969 academic year.

It became Üsküdar High School in 1970-1971 and produced its first graduates in 1973.

In 1983, the school was renamed Burhan Felek High School in honor of journalist and writer Burhan Felek, a former student who served for many years as president of the Istanbul Journalists Association.

The institution became Burhan Felek Vocational and Technical High School in 2013 and Burhan Felek Multi-Program Anatolian High School in 2014 before returning to Anatolian high school status in 2015.

Today, Burhan Felek Anatolian High School continues to prepare students for higher education in a modern building constructed on the site of its historic premises.

The historic building has been vacated for restoration and is expected to reopen once the renovation work is completed.

Fazıl Yıldırım, the school’s deputy principal, said the school currently has 737 students and 46 teachers. Yıldırım described it as an active institution, with students participating in domestic and international trips, music, entrepreneurship and Model United Nations activities, as well as history, culture, literature and sports programs.

The school is also digitizing its historical archive, with two teachers transferring old documents into digital format. The archive includes records of subjects taught to previous generations, including lessons written in Ottoman Turkish.

Yıldırım said the school’s long history had created a strong institutional culture and remained an important part of its identity.