Tonguc Yasar

 
Born in 1932 and a professional caricaturist since 1952, Tonguc Yasar would appear to be one ofthe key figures in Turkish animation.

From Bendazzi's Cartoons:

In 1972 Tonguc Yasar, who had cut his teeth at Studio Cizgi, made How the Boat of Belief Proceeded, a beautiful graphic excercise based on the shapes of the old - and today abandoned - Turkish alphabet. Screened at the Annecy Festival of 1973, this film enjoyed considerable success and influence, and was the one that opened the era of 'personal films' in Turkey.

 How the Boat of Belief Proceeded (Amentü Gemisi) can be seen here:

Amongst Yasar's other works was Hodja and the Thief, which was one of the entries for a 1978 Ministry of Culture contest calling for films about the folk hero Nasreddin Hodja; it was joint winner along with Tunc Izberk's similarly-titled Hodja and the Thieves.

See the Turkish Cultural Foundation website for more biographical details on Yasar; meanwhile, his filmography can be read here.