Aksaray Mahmudiye Secondary School
Changes After Construction:
- In 1939, the Ministry of Education’s Construction Office built the school on the plot previously occupied by Mehmed Redif Pasha’s mansion.
- In 2000, the campus was expanded with the addition of a new eight-classroom building.
- In 2021, the historic building was demolished due to earthquake risk, and the Istanbul Governorship constructed the current 23-classroom building.
Prominent Features:
- The school’s historical educational roots trace back to the Mahmudiye Secondary School (Rüştiye) built in 1873 by Pertevniyal Sultan, mother of Sultan Abdulaziz.
- Alumni of Mahmudiye Rüştiyesi include Tevfik Fikret, Abdullah Suphi Tanrıöver, Hüseyin Rahmi Gürpınar, and Mehmed Cevat Çobanlı.
- Later serving as Aksaray 45th and 72nd Primary Schools, the institution adopted its current name, Aksaray Mahmudiye Secondary School, on its 100th anniversary.
- The mansion on the plot where the school was built belonged to Mehmed Redif Pasha, a statesman who served as Chief of the General Staff during the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II.
