One of the Ottoman Empire’s earliest modern educational institutions continues its 176-year journey in the heart of Istanbul. A school established during the Tanzimat reforms, a major period of Ottoman modernization, now serves students as Cağaloğlu Anatolian High School.
Originally established as Darülmaarif, also known as Mekteb-i Maarif, the institution opened on March 21, 1850, during the reign of Sultan Abdülmecid. Built according to a European-style school plan, it emerged as an important part of the Ottoman Empire’s efforts to modernize education and train civil servants for its changing administrative system.
The historic building was commissioned by Bezmialem Valide Sultan, Sultan Abdülmecid’s mother, near the Sultan Mahmud II Tomb in the Cağaloğlu neighborhood of Istanbul. A traditional Islamic school, or madrassa, had initially been planned for the site, but the idea was abandoned in favor of a modern masonry school.
Unlike the classical madrassa education of the period, Darülmaarif introduced new teaching methods and expanded its curriculum with arithmetic, geometry, philosophy, astronomy and geography. Beyond training civil servants, the school was also intended to prepare students for Darülfünun, the higher education institution planned by the Ottoman administration.
Among its first students were Sultan Abdülmecid’s children, Sultan Murad V and Fatma Sultan. Abdülmecid personally brought his children to the school on its opening day, wanting them to study alongside other students.
The school initially had about 250 to 260 students before enrollment was later limited to 180 and an entrance examination was introduced.
Bezmialem Valide Sultan also provided financial support through foundation revenues and established a lithographic printing press to produce textbooks. She donated 546 valuable volumes, largely from her personal collection, to the school library. The works are now preserved at the Beyazıt State Library.
Darülmaarif also became a center for intellectual activity. The Encümen-i Daniş, considered the Ottoman Empire’s first modern scientific council, was inaugurated at the building in 1851 in the presence of Sultan Abdülmecid.
Its role continued to evolve in the following decades. In 1873, secondary-level classes were introduced, while parts of the building were later allocated to Mekteb-i Mülkiye and Darülfünun-ı Şahane during the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid II.
The institution also became closely associated with girls’ education. Beginning in 1911, it operated under several names, including Inas Idadisi and Bezmialem Sultanisi, before continuing as Istanbul Girls’ High School during the Republican era.
Another major transformation came in the 1983-1984 academic year, when the school became coeducational, adopted the name Cağaloğlu Anatolian High School and began providing German-language education.
Today, around 740 students study at the school under approximately 60 teachers. Students can also obtain an additional diploma recognized in Germany under an educational agreement between Türkiye and Germany.
Nearly two centuries after princes, prospective civil servants and later generations of female students walked through its doors, the historic Cağaloğlu building continues its original purpose as a center of education.
