The building where Sait Faik Abasıyanık, one of the most important writers of our literature and almost synonymous with Burgazada, lived until his death is now open to visitors as the Sait Faik Abasıyanık Museum. In modern Turkish literature, Sait Faik Abasıyanık preferred to tell the classical story technique with a more poetic expression. He is considered a turning point because of his simple and sincere narratives.
Born in 1906 in Adapazarı, the author, who was named Mehmet Faik when he was born, used the name Sait Faik in the following years, and when the surname law was enacted, he started to use his surname as Abasıyanık upon request, instead of the family names Abasizzades and Abasızoğulları.
Sait Faik’s father Mehmet Faik started to live in the mansion in Burgazada, which they bought from Dr. Spanudi in 1937. When Sait Faik got bored, especially in winter, he would go to their apartment on Rumeli Street in Nişantaşı, where he used to live before, and in the following years he started to live on Nakliye Elgün Street in Şişli.
In 1953, Sait Faik was given an honorary membership by the Mark Twain Association in the USA. The only other person to receive this award was Mustafa Kemal before Sait Faik.
Sait Faik Abasıyanık, who pioneered many literary figures, published many books of stories, novels and poetry, including Semaver, Sarnıç, Şahmerdan, Havada Bulut, Kumpanya, Son Kuşlar, Mahkeme Kapısı, Şimdi Sevişme Vakti. Especially after he learned of his illness, he lived in this house until 1954, until the end of his life, and wrote many of his stories here. In 1959, the mansion was turned into a museum by his mother Makbule Abasıyanık upon the request of Sait Faik, who made many donations to Darüşşafaka and said that he loved Darüşşafaka very much.
Since 1964, the museum, which has been under the responsibility of the Darüşşafaka Association with all the artifacts inside, contains many artifacts such as photographs, letters and postcards that bear witness to Sait Faik’s life.
At the entrance of the Sait Faik Museum, which is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and can be visited free of charge on other days, a statue of Sait Faik is sitting at the entrance, welcoming you and hosting you.
Sait Faik hosted many famous literary figures before us. Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, Atilla İlhan, Orhan Veli, Aziz Nesin, Nazım Hikmet and many more… After his death, Atilla İlhan and Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu described Sait Faik very well.
The ground floor of the museum, which you enter by climbing the stairs, leads to the rooms of the building used as dining rooms and guest rooms. The rooms remain as Sait Faik used them in his daily life. Published works are also exhibited on this floor.
The floor below the ground floor, descended by narrow stairs, has been restored as the education floor. It is said that there used to be a cistern under the house. Two rooms were extracted from this cistern. One of the rooms is used as a training and screening hall, while the other can be used as a small library and reading room. On the 1st floor is Sait Faik. Sait Faik’s bedroom, which is designed in a very simple way, his desk with ink spilled on it and the life stories that tell about Sait Faik…
In the section where special documents and items belonging to Sait Faik and his family are located, you can also see the Independence Medal awarded to Sait Faik’s father Mehmet Faik for duly serving as the Mayor of Adapazarı during the War of Independence.
In the same section, Sait Faik’s Bursa High School Diploma and Istanbul University Faculty of Literature ID card are quite exciting. The plane ticket and passport he used to travel to Paris in 1953 to receive treatment for his illness are also among the items on display.
The letter room, one of the two rooms on the top floor, contains Sait Faik’s correspondence, official documents and letters sent to Sait Faik.
There is paper and pens on the table for you to write a letter to Sait Faik Abasıyanık. You communicate with Sait Faik by dropping your letter into the box on the side. The selected letters are published on the Sait Faik Museum website. The mansion also has a peaceful garden. These letters are also exhibited in the garden alternately.
The other room is a small but lovely room where Sait Faik Abasıyanık watched the magnificent view of the island. You can sit in his famous armchair and look out for hours.
The views, which cannot be seen clearly through the tilted windows, are thought-provoking; the island view is dominated by two windows, one of which shows the Greek Orthodox Church of Aya Yani.
