After his return to Turkey, Günaltay worked as a teacher in a number of high schools. During this time, he got to know Ziya Gökalp, a prominent ideologue of Pan-Turkism. Influenced by him, he began to carry out research on Turkish history. In 1914, he was appointed professor of the history of Turks and Islamic tribes at the Faculty of Letters of Istanbul University. The same year began to publish articles in the journal, İslam Mecmuası, which was sponsored by the Committee of Union and Progress.[2] Later, he served as the dean of the Faculty of Theology at the same university.
Political career
In 1915, Günaltay was elected to the Ottoman Parliament as deputy of Bilecik Province from the Committee of Union and Progress, and remained a member of the parliament until its dissolution. In the meantime, he continued to lecture at the university.
Günaltay died on 19 October 1961 in Istanbul due to prostate cancer,[citation needed] shortly after he was elected to the Senate to represent Istanbul Province (but before he could take his seat). He was laid to rest next to his daughter's grave in Ankara in accordance with his will.
