Friedrich Giese

Born on December 11, 1870, in Stargard in Pomerania, Friedrich Giese studied Protestant theology and oriental philology in Greifswald and earned his doctorate in 1894. His scholarly interests gradually turned toward Turkish studies, a field in which he would make his name.

From 1899 to 1905 he lived in Constantinople, teaching at the German Realschule while deepening his knowledge of Turkish. During those years he traveled in Anatolia, collected songs and tales in regional dialects, and documented them with unusual care, at times even using a phonograph. He later taught in Greifswald, Berlin, Constantinople, and Breslau.

Giese became especially known for his research on early Ottoman sources and historiography. Editions and studies connected with texts such as the so-called Anonymus Giese and Aşiqpaşazāde made him an important figure in Ottoman studies. He died on October 19, 1944, in Eichwalde.