Maryam à Âahinyan (; 1911 in Sivas – 1996 in Istanbul, Turkey) was a famed photographer who is considered the first woman studio photographer in Turkey. She was of Armenian descent.
Maryam à Âahinyan was born at à Âahinyan KonaÃÂñ, now known as the Camlñ Köà Âk in the city center of Sivas, Turkey. Her family owned much land in the region, including thirty villages and five flour mills and her grandfather, Paà Âa, was the representative of Sivas in the first Ottoman Parliament. Her family lost their property and social standing during the Armenian Genocide, and moved to an apartment in the Harbiye district of Istanbul. à Âahinyan attended the local Armenian school Esayan and later the French Lycée Français Privé Sainte-Pulchérie.
In 1936, à Âahinyan's mother, Dikranuhi à Âahinyan, died. à Âahinyan was forced to leave school and start work for her father, Mihran, in the Galatasaray Photography Studio in the BeyoÃÂlu district. Mihran had become a partner in the studio a few years prior, in 1933. à Âahinyan became interested in photography, and in 1937 began managing the studio herself. She retired in 1985, having produced a collection of approximately 200,000 images.
She died at her home on Hanñmefendi Sokak in à Âià Âli in 1996 and is buried in à Âià Âli Armenian Cemetery. Maryam Sahinyan is considered the first woman photographer in Turkey. She knew French, Italian, Armenian and Turkish.