Turkish archeologist, Muhibbe Darga, Died at 97

  Reseacher

Muhibbe Darga was born on June 13, 1921, in Istanbul and died on March 6, 2018, in Istanbul.

She was grand daughter of Darugazade Mehmet Emin Bey, Sultan Abdülhamid’s first chamberlain, the poet and translator of Jules Verne’s novels from French into Turkish.

She was raised in a historical mansion with its suites allotted to ladies and gentlemen respectively, in Istanbul’s Asian part,

Darga was brought up by French governesses.

Darga studied in Paris and Istanbul.

Darga’s father was a doctor and because of her father’s professional obligations, she traveled through the Anatolia of the 1930s with her family.

Her debates on art and literature were the staple fair at the dinner table of this intellectual family of the late Ottoman era, Roman and Greek history

Additionally, the family celebrated all religious rituals of the city like Christmas, Easter, Ramadan and sacrificial festivals, organizing fancy dress parties.

She attended Istanbul University’s Hittitology Department at the beginning of the 1940s.

Muhibbe Darga would meet many notables of Archeology at this faculty, founded by Prof.

And Theodor Bossert who fled from Germany to Turkey.

Draga enthusiasm and extravert personality, excellence in French and German and of course passion for Archeology drew attention.

She died at 97 years old.