Newsletters
Türkiye plans to open 10 new-generation libraries and digitize 20,000 manuscripts and rare printed works in 2027.
The Presidency’s annual program calls for wider access to library services, better protection of knowledge resources and the transfer of Türkiye’s cultural heritage to coming generations.
Since 2018, Türkiye has completed 29 new-generation library buildings. It has also refitted 616 existing libraries with modern equipment and reopened them.
The country has more than 1,300 public libraries, with seating for 160,000 people and over 777,000 square meters of indoor space. As of 2025, they held 26.1 million books and had 7.2 million members. Users numbered 39.2 million.
Next year, the government plans to finish construction on 12 libraries and restructure another 12 to serve new functions, in addition to opening the 10 new-generation libraries. Two cultural centers are also due to be completed and opened.
The Turkish Manuscripts Institution holds 811,527 manuscripts and rare printed works documenting the intellectual history of the Islamic and Turkish-Islamic world.
Since 2012, it has bought 27,201 manuscripts and rare printed works for its collections. About 93% of the holdings in its manuscript libraries have been digitized.
In 2027, officials plan to digitize 20,000 more manuscripts and rare works to build digital archives. They also plan to restore 1,100 manuscripts and rare works.
The institution aims to acquire 4,000 more manuscripts and rare printed works from public and private collections in Türkiye and abroad, through purchases and donations.
The program also calls for publishing 45 manuscripts regarded as Turkish-Islamic classics and compiling detailed bibliographic records for 27,000 works. It envisions 251 national and international cultural and scientific events on manuscripts and rare works.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
