Beyazıt State Library to undergo restoration, collection temporarily moved

ISTANBUL

Inside of the historic Beyazıt State Library (AA Photo)

The historic Beyazıt State Library, one of Istanbul’s oldest cultural institutions, will undergo extensive restoration and earthquake reinforcement, with its collection temporarily relocated during the works, the Culture and Tourism Ministry has said.

The announcement came in response to reports that the nearly 150-year-old library would be closed. The ministry’s General Directorate of Libraries and Publications stressed that the institution would not be shut down and that library services would continue throughout the restoration period.

The library’s books and periodicals will be transferred to designated areas at the Halkalı Library Complex, currently under construction in Istanbul’s Küçükçekmece district. Planned as one of the city’s largest library facilities, the complex will have about 30,000 square meters of usable space.

The temporary relocation is intended to protect the collection while ensuring continued public access. In addition, users will be able to access approximately 25 million digitized images of Beyazıt State Library’s books and periodicals through digital infrastructure being established at the Istanbul Orhan Kemal Provincial Public Library.

The Halkalı complex will also serve as a new technical center for the library system. Facilities for bookbinding, conservation and digitization will be established, allowing previously unbound periodicals to be completed and preserved, deteriorated works to be restored, and materials in the Beyazıt collection to be digitized.

According to the ministry, the facilities will continue to serve libraries across Istanbul after the historic collection returns to Beyazıt, providing technical and logistical support to institutions throughout the city.

The restoration will focus on preserving the historic character of the Beyazıt building while strengthening it against earthquake risks. Once the work is completed, the collection will be returned to its historic home.

The ministry said the renovated library will reopen with modern services and improved access facilities.