Ahmet Ertug studied architecture at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, graduated in 1974 and practiced architecture in England, Iran and Turkey. He got involved in photography in London and took photographs of urban life. While working in Iran in 1974-76, he traveled and photographed indigenous settlements and ancient Persian monuments. His serious commitment to photography started when he was awarded the Japan Foundation Fellowship to do research on the traditional architecture of Japan in 1979. For one year he traveled extensively in Japan and photographed the ancient temples, Zen gardens and festivals. After Japan he returned to Istanbul and became involved in the conservation planning of the historical city. His involvement in this activity developed his knowledge of the historical city and its monuments. He started photographing the Ottoman and Byzantine monuments in Istanbul using large format cameras. His photographic exhibition on the monuments of Istanbul was shown in Paris, Madrid, Toronto under the auspices of UNESCO. During 1980s he established his own publishing house and published about 20 exquisite art books on subjects in Byzantine, Ottoman, Hellenistic-Roman and Asian art. He uses a 20x25 cm / 8x10 inch large-format camera in his photography of architecture and sculpture. His books are printed by the best printing houses in Switzerland and Italy. A permanent exhibition of Ahmet Ertug's Hagia Sophia photographs is on display in the upper gallery of Hagia Sophia, in Istanbul. The exhibition concept was also designed by himself. Ahmet Ertug has held important solo exhibitions of his photographic work on Byzantine architecture in Paris at Couvent des Cordelier and also Ottoman and Byzantine architecture at La Conciergerie. His photographs of Hellenic and Roman sculptures were exhibited at the Tuilleries Gardens adjacent to the Louvre. His photographs of Buddhist sculptures from the Musée Guimet collections became an exquisite book and were also exhibited at that museum. This book was selected among the best publications of 2004 by Le Monde, which also called it the most beautiful book of the year. Ahmet Ertug's photography has a deep meditative energy and it withdraws the observer into the intellectual content of his subjects, ranging from the vast interior of monumental buildings to the silent gazes of ancient sculptures.