Tayyar Altıkulaç (born 1938) is a Turkish Islamic scholar and former politician who served as the 12th president of the Presidency of Religious Affairs from 1978 to 1986. He also served as a member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey for two consecutive terms from 1995 to 1999 and was re-elected from Istanbul in 2002.^[1]

He also conducted research on a manuscript of the Quran attributed to Uthman ibn Affan, the third caliph. Altıkulaç wrote articles in academic journals and contributed to the İslâm Ansiklopedisi, Turkish encyclopedia for Islamic studies published by Türkiye Diyanet Foundation.^[1][2]

Altıkulaç was born in 1938 in Kastamonu, Turkey. He completed his primary education in his hometown and later pursued secondary and higher education in Istanbul. He memorized the Quran by the age of nine and graduated from the Higher Islamic Institute in 1963. Afterward, he taught at the Istanbul Imam-Hatip High School until 1965 and subsequently worked as an assistant and faculty member at the Kayseri Higher Islamic Institute. From 1967 to 1968, he specialized in Arabic Language and literature at Baghdad University and later completed his doctorate in Quranic exegesis (tafsir).^[3]

Altıkulaç served in administrative positions in Turkey's religious and educational sectors. He served as the vice president of the Presidency of Religious Affairs from 1971 to 1976, general director of Religious Education Department at the Ministry of National Education from 1976 to 1977, and as a member of the Board of Education from 1977 to 1978. He was appointed president of the Presidency of Religious Affairs on 9 February 1978,^[3] a position he held until his voluntarily retirement on 10 November 1986.^[4]

After his retirement, Altıkulaç engaged in academia, lecturing at Marmara University and Baku State University, Faculty of Theology. He also served as the president of the Turkish Religious Foundation's Islamic Research Center (ISAM). In recognition of his contributions to education sector, he was awarded the title of professor by the Azerbaijan National Academy.^[3]

After contributing to the Islamic education field, he moved into politics in the mid-1990s, serving as a member of the Turkish Grand National Assembly from 1995 to 1999. He was re-elected as a member of parliament for İstanbul in the 2002 general elections.^[3]

One of the founding members of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), he also founded Istanbul 29 May University in 2010.^[4]

In 2022, Altıkulaç was awarded the Honorary Doctorate of Islamic Studies by Istanbul University.^[5]

• Korucu, Bülent (16 Sep 2021). "Diyanet'in kurucu babası: Tayyar Altıkulaç". Tr724. Retrieved 16 Oct 2024.