İzmir hosts exhibition of rare historical manuscripts

The İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, in collaboration with the Ahmet Piriştina City Archive and Museum (APİKAM) and the İzmir National Library, has launched a special exhibition titled “In the Footsteps of Documentary Heritage: Rare Works of İzmir.” The exhibition, held at the Ahmed Adnan Saygun Arts Center (AASSM), brings together 61 rare works that span from the Ottoman era to the history of the Turkish Republic.

Key highlights of the collection include the Düstûrnâme-i Enverî, a 15th-century work of which only two copies are known to exist worldwide, and the collected works of Aristotle printed in Basel in 1531. Other significant items include a Quran brought from Crete to İzmir in 1922, maps by Kâtip Çelebi depicting İzmir, Çeşme, and Foça, and the 1927 edition of the Nutuk containing military operation maps from the War of Independence.

Dr. Serhan Kemal Saygı, Director of APİKAM, noted that the İzmir National Library holds one of Turkey’s most significant cultural treasures, with over 2 million books and more than 4,000 manuscripts. The exhibition is scheduled to remain open to visitors until November 15.