Vefa High School

Audio Narration:

Construction Year:

1850

Location:

Fatih, İstanbul

Ordered By:

Grand Vizier Şirvanizade Rüşdü Pasha

Architect:

Unknown

Changes After Construction:
  • The Ministry of Education purchased the Middle Building in 1894 and moved the school to this building in Vefa.
  • The school was converted into a middle school in 1925 and moved to the Pharmacy School building in Kadırga; in 1933, it returned to its historical building in Vefa and continued its education with high school status.
  • The building in the upper garden was opened for use for higher education purposes in 1938; in 1947, this building was handed back for school use.
  • After the pavilions in the lower garden were removed, the construction of the new Main Building began in 1967; the building entered service in the 1969-1970 academic year.
  • The Middle Building, which had fallen into ruin, underwent repairs and was put back into educational use in 1984.
  • The Middle Building and the Dormitory building were damaged in the August 17, 1999 earthquake and closed for education; the Dormitory re-entered service in 2000, and the Middle Building in 2001.
  • Institutional records state that earthquake reinforcement was implemented for the Middle Building and the Dormitory in 2000, and for the Main Building during the 2023-2024 period.
Prominent Features:
  • The school has also been referred to by the names Mekteb-i Mülkiye İdâdîsi, Dersaadet İdâdî-i Mülki-i Şahanesi, Vefa İdâdî-i Mülk-i Şahanesi, Vefa Mekteb-i Sultânîsi, Vefa Boys’ High School, and Vefa Anatolian High School.
  • The school is defined as the first high school to provide education in the native language, the “first civil service high school,” and the first civil high school.
  • The campus is designed as a multi-structure educational campus with components including the Main Building, Middle Building/mansion, Dormitory, and Tabhane.
  • The Tabhane structure was put into educational use in the 1950s for the school’s laboratory units.