Since the introduction of books into public life, states have attempted to control these publications, and this desire has led to a systematization of censorship. Book bans and censorship, which were particularly intense during the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid in the Ottoman Empire, continued into the republican era in Modern Turkey.
This article aims to shed light on the types of books banned during the Atatürk and İnönü periods and the reasons behind their prohibition, based on Cabinet decrees found in the Republican Archives.
WHICH BOOKS WERE BANNED?
A review of Ottoman archives shows that most book bans during the reign of Abdulhamid II targeted publications critical of the sultan, especially those printed abroad. These included both publications by the Committee of Union and Progress and missionary works. Even the Encyclopædia Britannica was among the banned imports (Ottoman Archives, BOA, HR. SFR3, 515/40, March 5, 1902).
Domestically, books like Aşık Kerem, Namık Kemal’s Cezmi, Gülnihal, Vatan, and Zavallı Çocuk, as well as Ziya Pasha’s History of Andalusia were banned. Even a version of the widely known Mızraklı Ilmihal (a basic religious manual) printed by Hafız Şükrü Efendi was prohibited (BOA references given).
Another example is Muhtasar Osmanlı Tarihi, a textbook by Selim Sabit Efendi used in elementary schools. His phrase about Sultan Abdulaziz — suggesting that he committed suicide after being deposed — contradicted the official narrative. This resulted in Abdulhamid II putting him under surveillance, causing him distress in his final years.
RELIGIOUS PUBLICATIONS
The anti-religious stance of the Atatürk era is well-documented, and this is reflected in book bans. For example, a book titled Namazda Miktar-ı Kıraat printed in Aleppo was banned on February 18, 1933, for being “harmful in content.” In 1938, a copy of the En’am published by Ahmet Kâmil Press was banned without explanation.
The İnönü era followed similar censorship trends. In 1945, Mefharü Mevcudat Mevlüdü Şerif and Tam ve İlaveli Mevlüdü Şerif were banned, and existing copies were ordered to be collected.
Remarkably, Mızraklı Ilmihal was banned again in 1946. Despite the first multi-party elections in May 1946, censorship persisted. Alongside Mızraklı Ilmihal, other religious books like Şurut’ssalat and Tam Doğru ve Hakiki Namaz Hocası were also proposed for banning.
The Prime Ministry’s General Directorate of Press and Publication argued that these books promoted religion. A report from the Religious Affairs Directorate (chaired by A. Hamdi Akseki) stated that the book did not resemble authentic religious manuals, included incorrect information, folklore like the “City of Medayin,” references to the reign of Khosrow I, and discussions of the Karbala incident — all deemed inappropriate for a basic religious manual. It also promoted other publications from the same publisher, including Karbala Vakası by Ziya Şakir, which the Directorate disapproved of.
There is no document in the archives showing the final outcome of this censorship request.
SAID NURSI’S WORKS
Works by Said Nursi were also banned by Cabinet decree, especially during İnönü’s rule. In 1949, books like Gençlik Rehberi, Asa-yı Musa, and Mucizatü’l-Kur’an (mimeographed in Arabic script) were prohibited. A 1948 decree also banned Siracünnur and Hücumat-ı Sitte, including future editions. Notably, although the books bore the name Said Nursi, he was always referred to in official documents as “Said Kürdi.”
OTHER CENSORED AUTHORS
One targeted figure was Şemsettin Yeşil, an imam in Istanbul’s Samatya neighborhood. His book The Spirit, Morality, and Creed of Islam was banned in 1937, and his preaching license was revoked by Mufti Ömer Nasuhi Bilmen in 1947.
In 1935, a book written under the pseudonym “A. İbrahim” titled The National Religious Sentiment and the Pure Turkish Religion was banned for “containing harmful content against the state.” Despite the book’s slogan “Every Turk should read this,” it faced censorship for proposing a new national religion. This included controversial ideas such as prayer while seated on platforms and changing the prayer direction from Mecca to Sakarya.
MISSIONARY PUBLICATIONS AND DREAM BOOKS
Many missionary publications were also banned. For instance, a book printed in Rome in 1934 by a missionary society was prohibited. Ironically, that same year, a four-volume work titled Doğruyol by Ali Ulvi Bey — intended as a response to missionaries — was also banned.
One peculiar case is the 1935 ban of Sunkam Brahmen?, a dream interpretation book published by İnkılap Kitabevi, deemed “contrary to our regime.” Two other books on dream interpretation by Muhyiddin Arabi were also banned that year. These bans likely reflected the regime’s commitment to scientific rationalism.
TURKIST PUBLICATIONS
The legal basis for these bans was Article 51 of the 1931 Press Law, amended in 1935, which allowed the Cabinet to prohibit the distribution or importation of certain publications.
Turkist publications were not spared. In 1941, Reha Oğuz Türkkan’s Introduction to Turkism was banned for “containing politically sensitive content.” In 1944, his book On the Path of Nationalism was also banned, with no reason given except a reference to the law.
The main reason for censoring Turkist works was concern over harming relations with Russia. For instance, Pahta Hocalığı, published by Yaş Türkistan in 1935, was banned for being anti-Soviet. Similarly, Azeri poet Ahmet Sadık’s Ergenekon Yolları and even Mehmet Emin Resulzade’s German-language The Azerbaijan Problem were banned for similar reasons.
BOLSHEVIK AND KURDISH PUBLICATIONS
While trying not to anger Russia, the government also banned Bolshevik propaganda. In 1936, Stalin Says and The Principles of Marxism were banned, as were Russian-language works about the Soviet regime.
Poet Rıfat Ilgaz’s books Class (1944) and As Long As We Live were also censored.
Kurdish-language publications were another major target. In 1925, Gonca-i Bahar was banned on the recommendation of the General Directorate of Security. A book by the Hoybun Society in Syria was banned in 1934 for containing anti-government content. In 1935, From the Phases of the Kurdish Question, printed in Iraq, was banned for the same reason.
This detailed overview of Turkey’s book bans across different eras reveals a long-standing pattern of suppressing religious, political, ethnic, and even fantastical content, reflecting the tensions between state ideology and intellectual freedom.
During the Menderes era, the practice (of banning publications) continued, and in 1952, entry into the country was denied for two Kurdish-language books titled Nevbahar and Nehcül Enem, allegedly written by “the communist Kurdish nationalist Şeyhmus Ciğerhun” (129-44-4; 139-42-2, 52/7).
Alongside Kurdish publications, books in Circassian were also subject to bans. For instance, two works by Circassian Mehmet Bey, written about Circassians, were deemed “obscene” and banned (21-67-17, 3.11.1926).
ON GROUNDS OF CONTAINING HARMFUL WRITINGS
One of the most sensitive issues for the new Turkish Republic was the monitoring and banning of publications that contradicted the regime’s policies. Among these, books addressing the “Armenian genocide” allegations were prohibited from entering the country since they were written abroad.
According to a decision dated July 10, 1934, the book Little Armenia and Its Capital Sivas, What I Witnessed During the Deportation from Sivas to Aleppo, A Memory for Armenian Children, authored by Karabet Tapikyan from Sivas and published in Boston, USA, was banned on the grounds that it “contained obscene writings and propaganda” (46.49.05, 86/146). Similarly, the book Musa Dagh, published in Vienna in 1935, was banned because it “contained writings harmful to our country” (51-3-2, 86/169), and the work Arti-Hayistani, published in Egypt, was also banned for similar reasons (51-4-4, 86/70).
Among the banned books were some with rather unusual content. One such work was titled What to Do Not to Get Pregnant. Since Turkey at the time was following a policy of encouraging population growth, this work conflicted with national policy. It had been published in the magazine Sevimli Ay, run by the Sertels (Sabiha and Zekeriya Sertel), and the authorities ordered its confiscation and destruction (23-16-1, 13.3.1927).
One of the banned books was Grey Wolf: Mustafa Kemal by H. C. Armstrong, published in English, French, and German (41-85-15). The justification was that the work “contained harmful writings.”
The book was banned by a Cabinet decision dated December 4, 1933. The author, Armstrong, had been captured by the Ottoman army during World War I and had served in Istanbul after the Armistice. He returned to Turkey in the winter of 1927–1928 and published the book in October 1932 in London. According to Armstrong, Turkey’s regime resembled Mussolini’s Italy, and Mustafa Kemal Pasha was “the sharpest among the dictators of the time.”
Armstrong claimed the regime was only outwardly a parliamentary system but was actually a dictatorship. He described Mustafa Kemal as a “prophet without a message,” and argued that with reforms such as the dress code change, he behaved more European than the Europeans themselves.
Naturally, this book provoked the reaction of the government and was banned. The Turkish translation of the book would not be published until years later. The first translation, published in 1955 by Peyami Safa, included only about a third of the original. The first nearly complete version (with only a very small portion omitted) was published in 1996 by Arba Publishing in Istanbul.
This brief review of Cabinet decisions from the Atatürk and İnönü eras reveals the extent of book censorship in Turkey. The regime easily banned and confiscated any publication that opposed the official ideology—ranging from religious publications to Turkish nationalist or leftist writings.
It is not hard to imagine the effect of such practices on the bureaucracy. Most likely, civil servants “acting out of perceived duty” tried hard to increase the number of censored books, perhaps believing that banning even dream-interpretation books helped “preserve the indivisible unity of the nation.”
When reviewing the decisions, the justifications for the bans typically included phrases like “obscene,” “containing harmful writings,” or “undermining national politics.” In some cases, no justification was even deemed necessary.
These bans intensified especially during the coup periods of May 27 (1960) and September 12 (1980), becoming entirely arbitrary—and they have continued in much the same form following the events of July 15 (2016).
Sources:
- Republic Archives, State Archives
- Press Law (1931)
- Official Gazette No. 1867
- Official Gazette (1935) No. 2895
- Yılmaz, M. (1995). “On Harold C. Armstrong’s Book Bozkurt,” ATAM Journal, No. 22, pp. 721–756
- Armstrong, H. C. (1996). Bozkurt (Trans. Gül Çağalı Güven), Istanbul, Arba Publishing
- A. İbrahim (1944). National Religious Sentiment and Pure Turkish Religion, Istanbul, Turkey Press (Derin Tarih issue)
- Özer, A. A. “The Life and Works of Selim Sabit Efendi,” Yağmur, Archived link (accessed May 24, 2025)
