Nurcan Toprak was born in Istanbul in 1977. She is a graduate of Marmara University Theology Academy and Istanbul University Department of Librarianship. Toprak completed her graduate studies at Marmara University Islamic History and Arts Department with her thesis themed “Khattat Kadi-ul Asker Mustafa İzzet Efendi and His Works”. She has been working at IRCICA since 2000. Toprak’s articles were published in various places. She took classes from Arzu Uzunosman and Yelda Tezölçer at the illumination-miniature course organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 1998. Toprak has been continuing her illumination studies under the tutelage of Fatma Özçay since 2008.