The Ottoman newspaper Takvim-i Vekayi was first published in 1831. Founded under Sultan Mahmud II, it became the official gazette of the Ottoman Empire and the first fully Turkish-language newspaper.
Its launch formed part of Mahmud II’s wider centralization and reform program. The sultan wanted the government to communicate official decisions more directly and to strengthen control over the empire’s administration. The newspaper published government announcements, political developments, public information, and later proceedings of representative institutions.
Takvim-i Vekayi was not limited permanently to Ottoman Turkish. During the Tanzimat reform era, it also appeared in editions or related versions using languages including French, Armenian, Greek, and Arabic. This reflected the empire’s multilingual population and its growing diplomatic and intellectual connections with Europe.
Publication was interrupted several times. The paper ceased publication in 1878, resumed in 1891–92, and appeared again after the Young Turk Revolution of 1908. It ultimately published its final issue on November 4, 1922, shortly after the Ottoman sultanate was abolished. In total, it produced 4,891 issues between 1831 and 1922.