Manuscript Collection

Sustaining social memory and therefore raising great interest among art lovers, these exhibitions continue with contemporary themes and artists as an important activity of the Library.

Manuscripts, a figurative bridge between the Museum and the Library, hold a special place among Yapı Kredi’s invaluable collections. For their rarity as much as for their calligraphy and embellishments, manuscripts had a special meaning in the Ottoman Empire, where printing techniques were delayed in becoming widespread due to several factors. Unfortunately, a large number of manuscripts of the Ottoman culture are preserved in Western institutions and university libraries.

Given this situation, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Yapı Kredi’s 2000-piece Manuscript Collection is an invaluable treasure.

The majority of the manuscripts, dating back between the 16th and the 19th centuries, come from the libraries of Professor-in-Ordinary Fuat Köprülü, Professor-in-Ordinary Cavit Baysun, Ambassador and Turcologist Hamdullah Suphi Tanrıöver, and Finance Minister Küçük Sait Paşa. Written in Ottoman Turkish, Arabic and Persian, the works are about religion, linguistics, literature, history, philosophy, law, economics, and music.

Another striking feature is that the Manuscript Collection also includes the finest examples of theTurkish art of binding.