Enver Behnan Şapolyo is one of the famous figures of the Republican era known for his identity as a researcher, journalist, historian, and writer. Şapolyo learned the intricacies of journalism alongside his father at a young age. This experience played a significant role in shaping his literary understanding and his close interest in the press while he was a student at Istanbul Sultani. While struggling for the country’s liberation from enemy occupation with his duties in the National Struggle, Şapolyo also dedicated himself to preserving national and cultural values and helping Turkish youth attain national consciousness through his writings. His National Struggle identity led him to support the Republican regime established in Ankara later on, while his journalistic identity allowed him to closely follow the reforms, addressing topics related to history, national consciousness, and the Ottoman Empire in his political writings and literary works as well as his thoughts. Influenced by figures such as Ziya Gökalp, Ahmet Refik Altınay, Şevket Süreyya Aydemir, Yusuf Akçura, Hüseyin Namık Orkun, and Fuad Köprülü, Şapolyo turned towards folklore, history, Turkish literature, and culture, choosing the main subjects and materials of his stories from Turkish history. In his stories, he attempts to evaluate the history from Central Asian Turkish states, Seljuks, Ottomans, to the Republic by rewriting products of oral tradition. He chooses Turkish greats and sultans as heroes in his works to make young generations love history, teach them about their past, and strengthen national consciousness. Due to the author’s ideological orientation, although he often displays a positive stance towards the Central Asian, Seljuk, and Republican periods, it is observed that he criticizes the Ottoman period with a negative attitude and evaluates all innovations and regulations with a biased view. This study examines Enver Behnan Şapolyo’s evaluations of the Ottoman image in his stories.

Enver Behnan Şapolyo, Ottoman-Turkish image, ideology.