Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (Turkish: Mimar Sinan Güzel Sanatlar Üniversitesi) is a Turkish state university dedicated to the higher education of fine arts. It is located in the Fındıklı neighborhood of İstanbul, Turkey. The institution was founded on January 1, 1882 as the "School of Fine Arts" ("Sanayi-i Nefise Mekteb-i Âlisi, formally Mekteb-i Sanayi-i Nefise-i Şâhâne or simply "Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi") by the renowned Turkish painter Osman Hamdi Bey, who was also an art historian, archeologist and museum curator. Being the first of its kind in Turkey, education in fine arts and architecture began on March 2, 1883 with 8 instructors and 20 students. In 1914, the school became co-educational. The school was converted in 1928 to an academy, the first academy in Turkey, and its name was changed to "Academy of Fine Arts" (Güzel Sanatlar Akademisi). In 1969, this was renamed to "Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts" (İstanbul Devlet Güzel Sanatlar Akademisi). On July 20, 1982, its status was changed, and the academy became "Mimar Sinan University" (Mimar Sinan Üniversitesi) after the great Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan.