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Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
March 1 2013
Turkish History Foundation maintains Turkey's memory
ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency
Turkish History Foundation has been preserving Turkish history. The
resource only opens its doors to academics and researchers who fulfill
certain procedures
The Turkish History Foundation (TTK), established in 1931 by the
founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, has been
keeping important documents and photos related to Ottoman and Turkish
history for the past 82 years.
Only officials are allowed to enter the archive, where personal
documents and photos are also kept. Among these documents are private
collections belonging to Atatürk and Ottoman military officer Enver
Pasha; the Külliyat'ı Kalavin (Ottoman Judiciary System); a copy of
the diary kept by Dr. Akil Muhtar on Atatürk's disease; the secret
writings of Turkey's first prime minister Ä°smet Ä°nönü; the activities
of Turkish general Kazım Orbay, Enver Pasha and their friends between
1914 and 1918; the notes of Professor Süheyl Ã`nver on cultural history
and many of his oil paintings; documents related to the Ottoman grand
vizier Tevfik Pasha and the March 31 incident, as well as the Hatay
and Armenian incidents.
Speaking to Anatolia news agency, TTK President Professor Mehmet Metin
Hülagü said the building has housed the TTK for 45 years and is home
to a library of some 100,000 books.
`Turkish and foreign academics as well as organizations and
institutions are taking advantage of the library. The library keeps
widely accessible books as well as ones that cannot be found
elsewhere. You can find books here that you cannot find in other
libraries. We also have nearly 20,000 rare works and 1,800
manuscripts. Among those are the one and only copies of works that
were written in the 1600's.'
According to Hülagü, only workers are allowed to enter the library.
However, researchers can read library documents in the library's hall
or the additional section apart from the reading room.
Researchers can request books or documents open to research by
delivering written forms after following certain procedures.
Upon obtaining the form, an official brings the document through an
elevator from the labyrinthine library in the lower floor of the
reading room, Hükagü added.
Family tree of prophets
Manuscripts and rare books are kept in a locked section monitored by
security cameras, according to Hülagü.
`We are preparing to transfer rare books and manuscripts to a digital
environment. We want to finish it within a short time and share it
with the public. There are some 800 manuscripts here in various
languages. Among them is a 40-folder work written by an Ottoman
citizen of Armenian origin including judiciary arrangements and
regulations in the Ottoman period between 1500 and 1908. A nine-meter
document on the family trees of prophets from Mohammed to Adam written
by Yusuf Bin Abdullatif in the 1700's is a very important document and
has no other copy. But current opportunities do not enable us to
display these documents. Since these works are heavily worn, we want
researchers and academics not to touch them with their bare hands.
They can touch them with plastic gloves only. Most of the manuscripts
are in the Ottoman language. If citizens apply to us, we can make a
protocol with them, give them a copy and in this way they can be
published. Then the risk of losing these documents will disappear.'
In addition to the library, TTK also has a private archive section,
the key of which is granted to an archive worker who is not allowed to
enter the section alone. The archive keeps the private collections,
documents and photos of Atatürk, Ottoman sultans, generals, statesmen
and artists.
This section also keeps documents such as newspaper clippings on
Atatürk and gravures of the Ottoman dynasty. `Our archive also has the
letters owned by Turkey's first female parliamentarian Benal N.
Arıman's father Tevfik Nevzat, the secret writings between Enver Pasha
and his friends, the first edition of Hakimiyet-i Milliye newspaper,
the writings of Ä°smet Ä°nönü, old photos of various Turkish provinces,
photos from Israel and Palestine, etc,' Hülagü said.
Researchers from abroad
Hülagü said that those who want to conduct research in the archive
could apply personally or through the postal service by clarifying
their identity information, address, aim and topic of research.
`For foreign researchers, these applications can be made through
Turkish embassies or consulate generals abroad. The applications are
sent to the TTK through the Foreign Ministry. Personnel from public or
private institutions should also bring a document of approval from
their institution.
Reservations are necessary for research and researchers cannot demand
new documents without returning the ones they have,' Hülagü said.
March/01/2013
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-history-foundation-maintains-turkeys-memory.aspx?pageID=238&nID=42066&NewsCatID=341
From: A. Papazian
March 1 2013
Turkish History Foundation maintains Turkey's memory
ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency
Turkish History Foundation has been preserving Turkish history. The
resource only opens its doors to academics and researchers who fulfill
certain procedures
The Turkish History Foundation (TTK), established in 1931 by the
founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, has been
keeping important documents and photos related to Ottoman and Turkish
history for the past 82 years.
Only officials are allowed to enter the archive, where personal
documents and photos are also kept. Among these documents are private
collections belonging to Atatürk and Ottoman military officer Enver
Pasha; the Külliyat'ı Kalavin (Ottoman Judiciary System); a copy of
the diary kept by Dr. Akil Muhtar on Atatürk's disease; the secret
writings of Turkey's first prime minister Ä°smet Ä°nönü; the activities
of Turkish general Kazım Orbay, Enver Pasha and their friends between
1914 and 1918; the notes of Professor Süheyl Ã`nver on cultural history
and many of his oil paintings; documents related to the Ottoman grand
vizier Tevfik Pasha and the March 31 incident, as well as the Hatay
and Armenian incidents.
Speaking to Anatolia news agency, TTK President Professor Mehmet Metin
Hülagü said the building has housed the TTK for 45 years and is home
to a library of some 100,000 books.
`Turkish and foreign academics as well as organizations and
institutions are taking advantage of the library. The library keeps
widely accessible books as well as ones that cannot be found
elsewhere. You can find books here that you cannot find in other
libraries. We also have nearly 20,000 rare works and 1,800
manuscripts. Among those are the one and only copies of works that
were written in the 1600's.'
According to Hülagü, only workers are allowed to enter the library.
However, researchers can read library documents in the library's hall
or the additional section apart from the reading room.
Researchers can request books or documents open to research by
delivering written forms after following certain procedures.
Upon obtaining the form, an official brings the document through an
elevator from the labyrinthine library in the lower floor of the
reading room, Hükagü added.
Family tree of prophets
Manuscripts and rare books are kept in a locked section monitored by
security cameras, according to Hülagü.
`We are preparing to transfer rare books and manuscripts to a digital
environment. We want to finish it within a short time and share it
with the public. There are some 800 manuscripts here in various
languages. Among them is a 40-folder work written by an Ottoman
citizen of Armenian origin including judiciary arrangements and
regulations in the Ottoman period between 1500 and 1908. A nine-meter
document on the family trees of prophets from Mohammed to Adam written
by Yusuf Bin Abdullatif in the 1700's is a very important document and
has no other copy. But current opportunities do not enable us to
display these documents. Since these works are heavily worn, we want
researchers and academics not to touch them with their bare hands.
They can touch them with plastic gloves only. Most of the manuscripts
are in the Ottoman language. If citizens apply to us, we can make a
protocol with them, give them a copy and in this way they can be
published. Then the risk of losing these documents will disappear.'
In addition to the library, TTK also has a private archive section,
the key of which is granted to an archive worker who is not allowed to
enter the section alone. The archive keeps the private collections,
documents and photos of Atatürk, Ottoman sultans, generals, statesmen
and artists.
This section also keeps documents such as newspaper clippings on
Atatürk and gravures of the Ottoman dynasty. `Our archive also has the
letters owned by Turkey's first female parliamentarian Benal N.
Arıman's father Tevfik Nevzat, the secret writings between Enver Pasha
and his friends, the first edition of Hakimiyet-i Milliye newspaper,
the writings of Ä°smet Ä°nönü, old photos of various Turkish provinces,
photos from Israel and Palestine, etc,' Hülagü said.
Researchers from abroad
Hülagü said that those who want to conduct research in the archive
could apply personally or through the postal service by clarifying
their identity information, address, aim and topic of research.
`For foreign researchers, these applications can be made through
Turkish embassies or consulate generals abroad. The applications are
sent to the TTK through the Foreign Ministry. Personnel from public or
private institutions should also bring a document of approval from
their institution.
Reservations are necessary for research and researchers cannot demand
new documents without returning the ones they have,' Hülagü said.
March/01/2013
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-history-foundation-maintains-turkeys-memory.aspx?pageID=238&nID=42066&NewsCatID=341
From: A. Papazian