M. Hakan Gürüney, was born in Fener, Istanbul in 1961. Earned Physics degree at the Middle East Technical University in 1985. In 1989 he founded his IT firm, Rapor Bilgisayar Ltd. where he continues to work as the General Manager. He is married to Ayşe İnci Gürüney and has two sons, Ada and Ege. He speaks English and Ottoman languages.

His first visit to Tenedos was in 1992 while tracing a seashell. He started the Tenedos collection on 6 June 1998 by purchasing a Bussiere engraving and four black and white postcards from 1915 in an old book store at İstiklal Street of İstanbul. Then started a systematic research and acquisition of every kind of Tenedos related documents, books, maps, engravings, postcards, photographs, coins, wine and vinery items, ethnographic and historical artifacts, fossils and more, which currently numbers over 4000. Existence of the Internet has made it possible to access hundreds of out of country sources to establish the collection much faster then otherwise. He also made hours of visual recordings of face-to-face interviews with many Tenedos residents about their lives and memories in hopes of establishing a live history of the island.

To share the collection with the residents and visitors, he has purchased a land and built a gallery house which has opened its doors in June 2005.