Iranian Manuscripts Under the Blade of Chaos

According to a reporter from the Iran Book News Agency (IBNA), the ‘Türkiye Yazma Eserler Kurumu Başkanlığı,’ often abbreviated as TÜYEK or the ‘Turkish Manuscript Institution,’ is a government institution in Turkey overseen by the Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı (Ministry of Culture and Tourism). This institution was established in Turkey for the purpose of ‘collecting, preserving, protecting, researching, and providing services’ concerning manuscripts (yazma eserler) and rare books.

History

Based on Legal Article No. 6093, approved on December 28, 2010, this institution was officially established. One of its primary missions is to standardize activities and agencies related to manuscripts in Turkey under a single umbrella.

Structure and Departments

This institution has various departments with different responsibilities, including:

• Daire Başkanlıkları (Headships of Departments) such as the ‘Yazma ve Nadir Eserler Dairesi Başkanlığı’ (Headship of Manuscripts and Rare Books)
• The ‘Headship of Translation and Publication’
• The ‘Kitap Şifahanesi ve Arşiv Dairesi Başkanlığı’ (Headship of Book Workshop and Archive)

Main Duties

Some of TÜYEK’s most important duties include:

• Managing and coordinating manuscript libraries in various provinces of Turkey and providing library services based on library standards.
• Purchasing or receiving donated manuscripts and enriching manuscript collections.
• Preserving, restoring, and rehabilitating damaged or endangered manuscripts.
• Preparing and publishing lists, catalogs, bibliographies of manuscripts, databases, and providing researchers access to these resources.
• Translating important works, publishing critical or corrected editions of manuscripts, and scientific publishing in the field of manuscripts.
• Collaborating with domestic and international bodies and institutions in research, education, exhibitions, and conferences related to manuscripts and associated cultural heritage.
• Providing physical and digital infrastructures for the preservation and accessibility of manuscripts (libraries, digitization, archiving).

Significance

This institution plays a crucial role in protecting the written Islamic, Ottoman, and Turkish heritage — manuscripts that are sometimes several centuries old.

It provides an excellent resource for domestic and international researchers to study, catalog, and publish manuscripts.

It also helps in publishing research works, translations, and promoting scientific knowledge in the field of manuscripts, which is vital for the history of science.

Reminder

This is an organization whose establishment is also necessary in Iran. Unfortunately, neither large libraries are inclined towards it, nor does the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance have a structure commensurate with these duties. The result is utter disarray and completely different procedures, with each library manager deciding about manuscripts in their own way. The consequence is injustice to numerous researchers whose sole aim is to study Islamic and Iranian culture.