This December, Negar stays in Istanbul for a long research trip. She started a visit to the Sakıp Sabancı Museum, whose collection of around 600 manuscripts forms a small but highly valuable corpus in the city, beautifully situated beside the Bosphorus. There, she examined several works and had a brief yet fruitful conversation with the collection’s conservator, Nurçin Kural Özgörüş.
She then continued her work at the Süleymaniye Library and Şifahane, where a meeting with Nil Baydar provided an opportunity to discuss various collections as well as a few scientific analyses carried out on selected manuscripts. This exchange of ideas and information was both insightful and inspiring.
Beyond library research, Istanbul also hosted important events relevant for our research, most notably the First International Manuscript Workshop at the Rami Library. The two-day symposium brought together many scholars from different libraries and museums, with parallel sessions taking place in multiple rooms, creating a dynamic and stimulating atmosphere. Held in a beautifully restored historical building, the workshop offered a vibrant space for sharing perspectives on manuscripts, codicology, restoration, conservation techniques, and regional material traditions. Negar was delighted to participate, engage in discussions, and ask questions throughout the sessions and during the informal tea breaks.
Stay tuned for Part II of her Istanbul research trip!
