MUAZZEZ ILMIYE CIG IS BORN IN BURSA -TURKEY, ON 20TH JUNE 1914. SHE WAS GRADUATED
FROM THE BURSA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS SCHOOL IN 1931. SHE WORKED AS AN
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER IN ESKISEHIR FOR 4,5 YEARS.
SHE WAS ENROLLED AT THE ANKARA UNIVERSITY, FACULTY OF LETTERS, DEPARTMENT OF HITTITOLOGY IN 1936. ( WHICH WAS FOUNDED IN 1935 AND NAMED BY THE GREAT LEADER ATATURK ). SHE STUDIED THERE " HITTITE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE " WITH PROF.DR. HANS GUSTAV GUETERBOCK AND " SUMER AND AKKAD LANGUAGE AND MESOPOTAMIAN CULTURE " WITH PROF. DR. BENNO LANDSBERGER WHO - LIKE MANY OTHER SCHOLARS, ESCAPED FROM THE NAZIS AND TOOK REFUGEE IN ISTANBUL.
AFTER HER GRADUATION SHE WAS ASSIGNED AT " THE MUSEUM OF ANCIENT ORIENTAL ART " IN ISTANBUL AS CUNEIFORM TABLETS ARCHIVE SPECIALIST. ALONG WITH DR. F.R. KRAUS AND HER COLLEQIUE MRS. HATICE ( BOZKURT ) KIZILYAY, SHE STARTED WORKING ON THOUSANDS OF CUNEIFORM TABLETS SO FAR NOT CLASSIFIED AND SCHOLARLY STUDIED.
THEY TOGETHER TRANSFORMED ISTANBUL ARCHAEOLOGY MUSEUM INTO A MIDDLE EASTERN LANGUAGES RESEARCH CENTER LIKE PARIS LOUVRE MUSEUM, LONDON BRITISH MUSEUM AND BERLIN VORDERASIATISCHES MUSEUM. IT SOON ATTRACTED MANY SCHOLARS FROM THE USA, GERMANY AND FINLAND. THEY ALL STARTED DECIPHERING AND PUBLISHING CUNEIFORM TABLETS - EACH ONE OF THEM ARE CONSIDERED TODAY TO BE THE FOUNDATION STONES IN THE SUMERIAN LITERARY STUDIES.
MUAZZEZ ILMIYE CIG TRANSLATED SAMUEL NOAH KRAMER'S MOST ACKNOWLEDGED BOOK, VIZ. " HISTORY BEGINS AT SUMER " INTO TURKISH. ( PRINTED BY THE TURKISH HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION, ANKARA. 1990, 1995, 1998 )
MUAZZEZ ILMIYE CIG, WITH HER VARIOUS PAPERS PRESENTED IN THE SCIENTIFIC WORKSHOPS AND FORUMS, 15 PUBLISHED BOOKS AND MORE THAN HUNDRED SCHOLARLY ARTICLES, REPRESENTS THE BRIGHTER SIDE OF THE TURKISH COMMUNITY. SHE WAS RETIRED IN 1972 FROM THE ISTANBUL ARCHAELOGICAL MUSEUM AFTER WORKING 33 YEARS ON MORE THAN 74.000 CUNEIFORM TABLETS WRITTEN IN THE SUMER, AKKAD AND HITTITE LANGUAGES.
AS A REPUBLIC GIRL AND CIVILIZED WOMAN, SHE STILL CONTINUES TO PASS HER KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCES TO PUBLIC WITH GREAT ZEAL. EVERY YEAR, UPON INVITATION, SHE LECTURES IN THE TURKISH CITIES AND UNIVERSITIES AND ALSO ABROAD. SHE AIMS TO IMPROVE THE HISTORY CONSCIOUSNESS OF PEOPLE BY TALKING ON VARIOUS SOCIAL AND CURRENT PROBLEMS. SHE THUS INVITES PEOPLE TO TAKE LESSONS FROM THE SIMILAR HISTORICAL EVENTS OCCURED IN THE PAST.
SHE HAS MANY AWARDS GIVEN BY VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS WHICH ARE LISTED IN THE FOLLOWING PAGES. UPON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE UNIVERSITY SENATE ON 4TH MAY 2000, SHE HAS BEEN AWARDED " THE HONORARY DOCTORATE DEGREE " BY THE ISTANBUL UNIVERSITY, FACULTY OF LETTERS.
HER 10 BOOKS HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED BY THE " KAYNAK YAYINLARI " IN ISTANBUL WHICH ARE WRITTEN USING THE DATA OBTAINED DURING HER ACADEMIC STUDIES. SOME OF THEM HOWEVER, HAVE BEEN FICTIONIZED BY THE AUTHOR FOR THE PUBLIC. SHE HAS A VAST READER BASE AND ENJOYS A DISTINCTIVE PLACE WITHIN THE LITERARY WORLD OF TURKEY WITH MANY REPRINTS OF HER BOOKS. SHE IS PRESENTLY WORKING ON TWO NEW BOOKS.
ONE OF HER BOOKS, VIZ., " SUMERLI LUDINGIRRA - LUDINGIRRA, THE SUMERIAN POET " HAS BEEN TRANLATED INTO THE PERSIAN LANGUAGE IN 2004. THE SAME BOOK SHALL ALSO BE PUBLISHED SOON IN AZERBAIDJAN. |
