Lale Aytaman is a philologist, academic, and politician who served in the bureaucracy and politics of Türkiye. On 6 July 1991 she was appointed as Governor of Muğla, becoming Türkiye’s first female governor. During her tenure as governor, she undertook initiatives to preserve traditional handicrafts in Muğla, promote environmental efforts, and support the establishment of Muğla Üniversitesi. Later, she served as a member of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye for the 20th term representing Muğla under the Motherland Party.

Lale Aytaman was born in Istanbul in 1944. Her father is Abdullah Köseoğlu and her mother is Mukadder. Her father, Dr. Abdullah Köseoğlu, served as a senator from Kocaeli between 1975 and 1980. Her uncle is Nihat Erim, who served as prime minister during the 12 March 1971 period.

Aytaman completed her studies at the Austrian Girls’ High School in Istanbul and participated in the AFS student exchange program in Arizona. She graduated from the Department of German Language and Literature at Istanbul University and earned her doctorate in German Language and Literature at the University of Hamburg.

^{Lale Aytaman} (Anadolu Ajansı)

After completing her doctorate, she served as a lecturer at Ankara University’s Academy of Economic and Commercial Sciences and at Boğaziçi University, teaching German language courses.

Lale Aytaman was appointed Governor of Muğla on 6 July 1991, becoming Türkiye’s first female governor. She held this position until 1995. During her governorship, she led initiatives to preserve traditional weaving in Muğla to promote the value of women’s handcrafts and develop alternatives to tobacco cultivation. In this context, she developed the Yeşilyurt Model and spearheaded the establishment of Muğla Handicrafts Industry and Trade Limited Company (MELSA). She also participated in efforts to establish Muğla Üniversitesi and in environmental protection activities. Between 1994 and 1995, as Governor of Muğla, she served as Chair of the Turkish National Delegation to the Council of Europe Congress on Local and Regional Planning and as Deputy Chair of the Council of Europe Planning Working Group.

In 1995, Aytaman was elected as a Member of Parliament for Muğla in the 20th term under the Motherland Party. She chaired the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye’s Commission on the Status of Women. She also served as a member of the ANAP Parliamentary Group and the ANAP Central Decision Management Board. She held positions in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the National Delegation to the Western European Union. As the first Turkish MP elected as chair of a committee in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, she presided over the Committee on Environment, Local and Regional Governance.

Lale Aytaman is married to retired ambassador Reha Aytaman. They have one son, Osman Aytaman. She speaks German, English, and intermediate-level Italian.

Lale Aytaman compiled her experiences during her governorship in the book İğneli Koltukta Dört Buçuk Yıl .