Reşad Ekrem Koçu

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Reşad Ekrem Koçu (* 1905 in Istanbul ; † July 6, 1975 there ), also known as Reşat Ekrem Koçu , was one of the most famous local historians in Istanbul of the 20th century. He became known as a chronicler of the city of Istanbul through his İstanbul Ansiklopedisi , the very first encyclopedia of a city. In it Koçu collected interesting facts and in particular bizarre facts (such as methods of execution etc.) about the history and present of Istanbul. The never completed work with hand-drawn black and white illustrations initially appeared in the form of supplements to the Cumhuriyet newspaper and was first summarized in book form in 1954. The second Istanbul encyclopedia was finally discontinued in 1973 with the 11th volume (letter G).

Life

Koçu's mother was the daughter of a senior officer in the Ottoman military and his father was a journalist. Koçu spent part of his childhood in a yalı on the banks of the Bosporus . He graduated from a boys' high school. When Reşad was 20 years old, his father bought a wooden villa in Göztepe. Reşad lived in this villa for a long time, which he later had to sell due to family disputes. However, he did not leave the neighborhood. Koçu studied history at Istanbul University and then worked as an assistant to the historian Ahmet Refik until he fell out of favor because of opposition to Ataturk and lost his chair. Then Koçu worked as a history teacher at various high schools.