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Ahmad JafarogluA renowned Turkologist, professor at Istanbul University
Date of Birth: 17.04.1894
Country:  Turkey |
Content:
- Life and Early Career
- Military Service and University Studies
- Academic Career
- PhD Dissertation and Return to Istanbul
- Academic Honors and Contributions
- Founding Member and Legacy
Life and Early Career
Ahmed Caferoğlu was born in 1894 in Ganja, Azerbaijan. His father passed away in 1902, and in 1905, during the Armenian-Tatar massacres, his mother, Govhar Caferoğlu, relocated with her son to Samarkand. There, Ahmed received his primary education.
In 1909, the family returned to Ganja, where Ahmed continued his studies at the Ganja Gymnasium. In 1916, he traveled to Kyiv and enrolled in the Kyiv Commercial Institute.
Military Service and University Studies
In 1918, Caferoğlu returned to Ganja and joined the Azerbaijani army (ADR). As a paratrooper in the artillery, he participated in the liberation of Baku.
Following the establishment of the Baku University in 1919, Caferoğlu enrolled in its Faculty of History and Literature. However, after the Soviet occupation of Baku on April 28, 1920, he was forced to leave Azerbaijan.
Academic Career
Caferoğlu continued his education at Istanbul University's Faculty of Literature in Turkey. He graduated in 1924 and worked briefly in the theological faculty's library before obtaining an assistantship at the Turkish Center.
In late 1925, Caferoğlu went to Germany on a scholarship from the German Foreign Ministry. He studied at the University of Berlin and later graduated from the University of Breslau with his specialization in Turcology.
PhD Dissertation and Return to Istanbul
On May 15, 1929, under the supervision of Friedrich Giese, Caferoğlu defended his doctoral dissertation, titled "Analysis of 75 Azerbaijani Bayatis (Sad Songs) in the Ganja Dialect." He was awarded the Doctorate of Philosophy and his dissertation was published as a separate monograph in Berlin later that year.
Upon his return to Istanbul in 1929, Caferoğlu was appointed Associate Professor in the Chair of Turkic Language History at the university's Faculty of Literature. He became a full professor in 1936.
Academic Honors and Contributions
Caferoğlu was elected a member of the Polish Orientalists Society in 1937 and a corresponding member of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1938. In 1944, he became a corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Keresi-Skoma Society.
From 1946, he headed the Chair of Turkic Language History. He was elected a representative of the International Onomastics Society in Turkey in 1949.
In 1953, Caferoğlu received an honorary doctorate from the Independent Ukrainian University and was elected a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR. He also became a member of the Ural-Altaic Society and the International Dialectology Center that year.
In recognition of his contributions to Turkology, Caferoğlu was awarded the Spanish Order "De Alfonso El Sabio" in 1955.
Founding Member and Legacy
Caferoğlu was one of the founders of the Turkic Language Society, remaining a member until his passing. He established and was the editor-in-chief of the "Azerbaijan Yurd Bilgisi" journal. The "Turan" Society in Buenos Aires, Argentina,elected him as an honorary member.
Caferoğlu retired from his professorship in August 1973, having led the Chair of Turkic Language History at Istanbul University for 27 consecutive years. He passed away on January 6, 1975, leaving behind a lasting legacy in the field of Turkology.
