From Archive to Public Sphere: “Treasures of the National Library of Türkiye” Exhibitions within the Türkiye Culture Route Festivals

Cultural heritage is not merely the preservation of the past; it is a way of making meaning in the present. As custodians of cultural memory, national libraries play a vital role in preserving, interpreting, and transmitting the documentary heritage of a nation to future generations.

In recent years, the National Library of Türkiye has taken significant steps to make its rich archives publicly visible through curated exhibitions organised as part of the Türkiye Culture Route Festivals across various cities. Under the title “Treasures of the National Library of Türkiye”, documents, photographs, letters, posters, musical scores, and other archival materials have been showcased to diverse audiences, offering renewed encounters with the nation’s collective memory.

The Türkiye Culture Route Festivals are an inclusive cultural and artistic platform that aims to transform cities into living cultural spaces and bring cultural heritage into the daily lives of communities. The exhibitions we present within this framework not only make the memory preserved in the archives visible, but also reconnect the traces of the past with people today, transforming cultural memory into a public and shared experience.

Treasures of the National Library: From Literature to Cinema — Yeşilçam Exhibition (Nevşehir)

This exhibition explored the literary origins of Turkish cinema by presenting film posters, novel covers, and archival documents relating to key figures such as Orhan Kemal, Reşat Nuri Güntekin, and Halit Refiğ. By documenting the interplay between literature and cinema, the exhibition highlighted the role of the National Library’s non-book collections in shaping public cultural memory.

Treasures of the National Library: Âşık Veysel Exhibition and Panel (Ankara)

Held at the Presidential Symphony Orchestra Concert Hall (CSO Ada Ankara), this exhibition presented selected materials from the Library’s collections, including musical manuscripts, newspaper articles, and photographs documenting the life and art of Âşık Veysel, one of Türkiye’s most prominent folk poets.

A parallel academic panel brought together scholars, musicologists, and artists to discuss Veysel’s place in musical heritage and cultural memory. The event transformed the exhibition into a platform for shared reflection, deepening the interpretive context of the archival materials.

Treasures of the National Library: Anatolian Photographic Studios Exhibition (Malatya)

Curated using glass negatives from the Library’s Non-Book Materials Collection, this exhibition featured photographs taken by local studios throughout Anatolia during the early 20th century. Each photograph served as a historical witness, documenting daily life, social structures, and visual culture. The exhibition underscored the significance of the Library’s photographic archives for visual history and memory studies.

Treasures of the National Library: Pierre Loti’s Letters and Istanbul Exhibition (İstanbul)

Drawing from diplomatic correspondence, engravings, travel notes, and glass negatives in the Library’s collections, this exhibition traced Pierre Loti’s fascination with Ottoman Istanbul. By presenting multi-layered cultural and historical narratives, the exhibition acted as a bridge of cultural diplomacy, demonstrating the archival collections’ value in fostering international dialogue.

Treasures of the National Library: Social Life and Family in Mardin Şer‘iyye Registers Exhibition and Panel (Mardin)

This exhibition featured selected documents from judicial court registers dating from the 16th to the 20th centuries. In addition to legal cases, the records illuminated family structure, social relations, and the roles of women and children in daily life.

The accompanying panel, featuring academics from Artuklu University, Necmettin Erbakan University, and the Atatürk Research Center, explored themes of family law, gender roles, and social dynamics. The event demonstrated the enduring relevance of historical documents in contemporary scholarly discourse.

Conclusion

The Treasures of the National Library of Türkiye exhibitions and panels, organised within the framework of the Türkiye Culture Route Festivals, reflect the Library’s evolving role as an institution that both preserves and produces culture. Each exhibition represents the reinterpretation of an archival document, and each panel provides a renewed understanding of its social context. Through these initiatives, the National Library strengthens its position as a living centre of cultural memory and intellectual engagement.