The future poet was orphaned at an early age, and after the death of his parents in 1921, he was raised by his grandparents. He received his education at a rural school, then studied at the Kokkoz School of Youth and the Bakhchisaray Pedagogical Technical School. It was there, under the influence of the famous teacher and educator Usein Kurkchi, that Yunus Temirkaya began to write poetry.
In 1935, he entered the Crimean Pedagogical Institute, Faculty of Crimean Tatar Language and Literature, where his teacher was Yaya Nadzhi Bayburtli. During his student years, Temirkaya was actively involved in literary life, was the editor of the student magazine Yash Qalemler, and his poems and translations were published in Crimean Tatar newspapers and magazines.
After completing his studies, he worked as a teacher and school principal, teaching his native language and literature.
On May 18, 1944, Yunus Temirkaya, like the entire Crimean Tatar people, was deported to Uzbekistan. In exile, he worked at heavy industrial facilities and later worked as a teacher in the Namangan region, continuing his literary activities.
During his deportation, his poetry collections were published, including:
• “Freshness of the Mornings” (1970),
• “Mountain Spring” (1972),
• “Dawns” (1976),
• “Amet Khan” (1980),
• “My Soul’s melodies” (1983)
In the 1990s, Yunus Temirkaya returned to Crimea.His works began to be published again in the Crimean Tatar press. In 1995, his last collection during his lifetime was published — Sonki Tellerim (Last Creations).
In 1993, Yunus Temirkaya became a member of the Writers’ Union of Ukraine.
The talented poet died on 14 September 2004 in Akmesdzhit (Simferopol). Yunus Temirkaya’s work is an important part of the Crimean Tatar literary heritage and a symbol of the cultural resilience of the indigenous people of Ukraine, who survived deportation, exile and the struggle to return to their homeland.