Notable People of Çorum

This page gathers the biographies on this site of people who were born in Çorum or are tied to it through their life and work. The starting point is the Çorum Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism’s list of notable people; each biography has also been checked against independent sources such as the TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, parliamentary records, sports federations and academic publications, and dates missing or wrong in the official list are noted with their source on the relevant page.

Historical figures

• Akşemseddin and Koyun Baba: Two Saints of Osmancık: The traces left in Osmancık and İskilip by Akşemseddin, tutor of Fatih Sultan Mehmed; and the legendary and historical identity of Koyun Baba, who settled in Osmancık from Khorasan.
• Âşık Paşa: Poet of the Garibnâme, Âşık Paşa (1272-1332) lived and died in Kırşehir; his Çorum tie runs through his son Elvan Çelebi, who settled in Mecitözü.
• Âşıkpaşazade: Author of Tevârîh-i Âl-i Osmân, one of the earliest standard Ottoman chronicles, Âşıkpaşazade was born around 1400 in Elvan Çelebi village, Mecitözü.
• Elvan Çelebi: Âşık Paşa’s son Elvan Çelebi founded a lodge in Mecitözü in 1352 that gave the village his name, and wrote a key source on his family and Sufi order.
• Koca Mehmet Paşa: Koca Mehmet Paşa of Osmancık became grand vizier under Murad II in 1429; the mosque and baths he had built in his hometown still stand today.
• Ebussuud Efendi: One of the Ottoman Empire’s most influential şeyhülislams, from a family rooted in İskilip: the legal and exegetical authority of Süleyman the Magnificent’s reign, who held the office for a record 28 years and 11 months.
• Sun’ullah Efendi: Son of an İskilip-born kazasker, cousin of Ebussuud Efendi, and four-time Ottoman şeyhülislam: the turbulent career of Sun’ullah Efendi.
• İskilip’s Scholars: Names that shaped Ottoman scholarship and statecraft from İskilip: astronomer Ali Kuşçu’s family, Şeyh Yavsî, Molla Cafer Çelebi, Şeyh Muslihiddîn Attar and Hacı Karani.
• Kara Halil Efendi: Kara Halil Efendi (1804-1880), born in Mecitözü, became şeyhülislam in 1877, drafted Sultan Abdülaziz’s deposition fetva and helped compile the Mecelle.
• Ahmet Feyzi Efendi: Çorum’s mufti Ahmet Feyzi Efendi (1839-1909) founded a 6,112-volume library that became the core of today’s Çorum Provincial Public Library.
• Yusuf Bahri Efendi: Hadith scholar Yusuf Bahri Efendi studied under al-Zabidi in Cairo, then spent over 40 years teaching and running a library at Çorum’s Feyziyye Madrasa.
• Yedi-Sekiz Hasan Paşa: Çorum-born officer Hasan Paşa is known for guarding Beşiktaş and building Çorum’s clock tower; research shows his nickname surfaced decades after his death.

Politics, administration and business

• İsmet Eker: Çorum-born MP İsmet Eker presided, as deputy speaker, over the 29 October 1923 TBMM session that declared the Republic of Turkey.
• Turhan Kılıçcıoğlu: Dr. Turhan Kılıçcıoğlu (1931-1994) led Çorum as mayor for a total of 16 years across two terms and was the founding president of Çorumspor; the city’s old stadium bears his name.
• Salim Uslu: Trade unionist and politician Salim Uslu, born in Alaca, is a former President of the Hak-İş Confederation and served as Çorum MP for two terms.
• Ahmet Hamoğlu: Çorum-born industrialist and hotelier Ahmet Hamoğlu (1948-2022) founded the Klassis Hotel and Golf Club and Istanbul’s Maxi Shopping City.

Arts, literature and thought

• Komet (Gürkan Coşkun): Known in the art world as Komet, painter and poet Gürkan Coşkun (1941, Çorum – 2022, Istanbul) blended fantasy and reality in his paintings and prints.
• Sait Maden: Sait Maden (1931, Çorum – 2013, Istanbul) was a poet, translator and graphic designer, known for translating Aragon, Lorca and Neruda into Turkish.
• Tuncer Cücenoğlu: Tuncer Cücenoğlu (1944-2019), born in Çorum, was an award-winning Turkish playwright whose plays were staged in dozens of countries.
• Şahinkaya Dil: Poet Şahinkaya Dil (1931 Çorum - 1993 Ankara) published twelve poetry collections and the magazine Çağdaş, contributing to Republican-era Turkish poetry.
• Âşık Hüseyin Çırakman: Folk poet Âşık Hüseyin Çırakman (1930-2013), from Sungurlu’s Körkü village, is known for his verse “Hoş Geldiniz Erenler”.
• Şekip Şahadoğru: Folk poet Şekip Şahadoğru (1932-1995), from Çorum’s Evci Ortakışla village, is known for the song “Şikayet Olmasın”.
• İsmail Beşikçi: Sociologist and writer İsmail Beşikçi, born in İskilip in 1939, is known for his academic research on the social and ethnic structure of Eastern Anatolia.

Sport

• Mahmut Atalay: Çorum-born wrestler Mahmut Atalay (1934-2004) won gold in freestyle wrestling at 78 kg at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
• Tevfik Kış: Wrestler Tevfik Kış (1934-2019), born in Kargı, won gold in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 1960 Rome Olympics.
• Nazmi Avluca: Greco-Roman wrestler Nazmi Avluca, born in Kargı, is one of Turkish wrestling’s most successful athletes, with two world titles and a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
• Celal Ada: Çorum-born taekwondo athlete Celal Ada won bronze at 52 kg at the 1982 European Taekwondo Championships, one of the earliest Turkish placings in the sport.
• Aycan Önel: Çorum-born athlete Aycan Önel competed in the 100 metres at the 1960 Rome Olympics and set numerous Turkish national records.

Related pages

• Museum of İskilip Scholars and Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu Museum
• Elvan Çelebi Zaviye, Koyun Baba Tomb, Çorum Clock Tower
• All content on History & People

Sources

• Çorum Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism — notable people of the city
• Detailed sources for each person are listed on their own page.