# Turkish cultural heritage digitization initiatives

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/turkish-cultural-heritage-digitization-initiatives
> Updated: 2026-08-17T09:53:03.000Z. Sources: 8. Developments: 2.

Turkey has initiated several large-scale digital preservation projects to safeguard its cultural heritage. In Çorum, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism began a national inventory project to record and digitize approximately 2,000 to 3,000 Ottoman-Islamic period tombstones and inscriptions at the Hıdırlık and Ulu cemeteries.

Expanding the scope of digital preservation, the Presidency of Manuscripts and Rare Works of Turkey (TÜYEK), alongside the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, launched a digital portal providing international access to 485,000 manuscripts and rare printed works. This platform, described as the world’s largest of its kind, utilizes high-resolution imaging to protect physical assets from wear and tear while allowing users to view and download millions of pages.

## Timeline

### 2026-08-17: Turkey launches digital portal for 485,000 rare manuscripts

Turkey has launched a massive digital portal featuring 485,000 manuscripts and rare printed works, providing global access to significant cultural heritage for researchers and the public.

8 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/turkey-launches-digital-portal-for-485000-rare-manuscripts

### 2026-07-19: Turkey launches digital inventory of Ottoman‑Islamic tombstones in Çorum

Turkey’s Culture Ministry began a two‑year project in Çorum to digitise 2,000‑3,000 Ottoman‑Arabic tombstone inscriptions, with a Hitit University team recording texts, photos and GPS data for a nationalherit​e

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/turkey-launches-digital-inventory-of-ottomanislamic-tombstones-in-orum

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Cite as: Turkish cultural heritage digitization initiatives. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/turkish-cultural-heritage-digitization-initiatives