Women have made the world a better place, through their hard work and determination whether as teachers, writers, homemakers or pioneers. While the relationship between a mother and a child points to the importance of women in the continuity of life, the crucial roles that they play in the development of societies have always been obvious to adept eyes.

With their scientific works, anthropologists were able to prove that it was women who enabled the start of ancient civilizations. They were the first ones to make pots out of clay and invent rope. They also discovered fire and edible plants and thought about combining the two to make food. In other words, life would not be possible without women.

In more modern times, where they were often incomprehensibly ignored or pushed to a secondary position, women broke the stereotypes, proving they could achieve whatever they wanted. Thus, women have always been the key agents of development and change. To appreciate the power of women as International Women's Day on March 8 approaches, we have compiled a list of female Turkish artists who were pioneers in their fields.

First woman in contemporary painting

Mihri Müşfik Hanım, born in Istanbul in 1886, was the first contemporary female Turkish painter. Having received a European-style education, she became interested in literature, music and painting.

Müşfik was trained by Fausto Zonaro, the palace painter during the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid II. Focusing on portraits and figures in her paintings, she combined European and Turkish styles in her brush strokes. Her portraits bear the traces of cubism and expressionism, which were the current styles of her time.

The artist also worked as an instructor at many workshops for girls, including Istanbul Darülmuallima (Teachers’ College for Girls) and the Academy of Fine Arts for Girls (Inas Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi). Among the artists that she trained are Nazlı Ecevit, Aliye Berger and Fahrelnissa Zeid.

First female sculptor

The first female sculptor of Turkey was Sabiha Ziya Bengütaş. Born in Istanbul in 1904, Bengütaş was interested in fine arts since her childhood. In order to improve her skills, she enrolled at the painting department of the Istanbul Academy of Fine Arts (Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi) in 1920. After a year, she began studying sculpture at the same school as the first female student in the class.

Sabiha's passion for sculpting and her enthusiasm led her to learn the secrets of the profession fairly quickly. Winning a state scholarship, she also managed to study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome in Italy.

The artist made sculptures and busts of many well-known people including Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, modern Turkey’s founder and Ismet Inönü, the second president of Turkey.

Woman behind the camera

Maryam Şahinyan, who was of Armenian descent, was Turkey's first female studio photographer. Born at Şahinyan Mansion in central Sivas province in 1911, Maryam and her family moved to Istanbul and adjusted to a new lifestyle under the Republican Era of the Turkish Republic.

After the sudden death of her mother, Maryam had to leave school and help her father earn for the family. Her father Mihran was interested in photography and had a studio named Galatasaray Photography Studio in Beyoğlu. Maryam managed this studio until 1985.

Another first in the art of photography was by Yıldız Moran who was the first professional female photographer with academic education. Moran was born on July 24, 1932, in Istanbul. Withdrawing from her education at Robert College in her final year in 1950, she visited Britain to study photography. She studied photography at Bloomsbury Technical College from 1950 to 1952 and then at Ealing Technical College. She then became an assistant for the famous photographer John Vickers at the Old Vic Theater.

Moran successfully combined the technical and theoretical knowledge she gained at the school with her experience in studio and stage photography. Her first exhibition was in Cambridge in 1953, and she held five more exhibitions in London in 1954. Her exhibitions attracted a lot of interest. Moran is known as one of the best photographers of all times for the new perspective and aesthetic she introduced to photography.

First prima donna

Turkey's first female opera singer was Semiha Berksoy, who was born in Istanbul in 1910. Studying music and visual arts at Istanbul Conservatory, Berksoy was also a painter at the same time. She started her career with the role of a character named "Semiha" in the first Turkish sound movie "Istanbul Sokaklarında" ("On the Streets of Istanbul"), directed by Muhsin Ertuğrul in 1931. Being cast in operettas in Istanbul theaters, she later performed in the first Turkish opera "Özsoy" in 1934, which was commissioned by Atatürk and composed by Adnan Saygun. Awarded with the opportunity to go to Berlin Music Academy for further training, Berksoy received international fame then, becoming the first Turkish prima donna to perform onstage in Europe.

Woman onstage

Having marked her name as the first Muslim actress on the Turkish stage, Afife Jale rose to fame quickly. Born in 1902 in Istanbul, she was admitted to the theater department of the Istanbul Conservatory. As her father was against her acting career, she left home. Afife appeared before the audience with the role of Emel in Hüseyin Suat's play "Yamalar," which was staged at the Apollon Theater (today's Rexx Cinema) in Istanbul's Kadıköy district, in 1920. As she played her first role with the pseudonym "Jale," she became known as Afife Jale.