History lessons move beyond classroom at Istanbul high school

Melike Çalkap – ISTANBUL

In one of Türkiye’s most prestigious secondary schools, Kabataş Erkek Lisesi, history lessons are being taken out of the classroom and into the heart of the country’s past.

In an effort to make learning more lasting, the school has begun teaching selected history courses inside Istanbul’s historic palaces, allowing students to engage directly with the spaces where history unfolded.

After immersive sessions at Topkapı Palace, the Ottoman Empire’s administrative heart for nearly four centuries, and the lavish Dolmabahçe Palace, a 19th-century emblem of imperial modernization, the program moves to Yıldız Palace, the former residence of Sultan Abdülhamid II.

It will conclude in Ankara at the First Grand National Assembly building, where Turkey’s parliament convened during the War of Independence (1919–1923).

The project is led by history teacher Fikret Ünal within the framework of the Türkiye Century Education Model, a nationwide reform aimed at encouraging critical thinking and experiential learning.

Recently, Ünal taught a lesson on Ottoman modernization to 22 11th-grade students at Dolmabahçe.

“When lessons are taught in historical spaces rather than classrooms, students engage with the subject more quickly and focus more deeply,” Ünal said, describing the model as a “genuine educational revolution.”

In addition to showcasing imperial grandeur, Dolmabahçe also holds deep symbolic importance in modern Turkish history. It was where modern Türkiye founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk spent his final days.

Many students visited the palace for the first timethrough the program. “Learning history on-site gave me a completely new perspective,” said student Deniz Ünlü, while Ece Ergin noted that seeing the room where Atatürk spent his final days made the lesson “deeply moving.”