The Ministry of Culture and Tourism welcomes visitors to the Rami Library. Located in Eyüpsultan, İstanbul, the Rami Library is set in the former 18th-century Rami Barracks. Following restoration, renovation and construction activities carried out following the original structure and materials, the Rami Library became the ‘largest library in İstanbul’ and is amongst the few leading libraries in Europe possessing its distinctive features.
The Rami Barracks campus has a seating capacity of 4,200 people, and numerous sections, including a baby and children’s library, a digital library, a youth library, an adult library and various specialized libraries. To provide modern library services, the complex also includes 24-hour study and reading rooms, a baby and child’s section, an accessible section, and group and individual study halls. Featuring a closed area of 36,000 m² and a capacity of 2.5 million volumes across 220 decares, the library’s landscaped area of 51,000 m² makes it the ‘library with the largest indoor landscape area’ in Europe. In addition to this expansive green space, the Rami Library has a 1,000 m² artificial pond surrounded by trees.
The first complex in Türkiye to receive a Sustainable Museum Certificate
The Rami Library also holds Türkiye’s first ‘Biosphere Sustainable Museum Certificate’. The Library received the Biosphere Sustainable Museum Certificate, a tourism sustainability certificate, in recognition of its full compliance with sustainability principles in every aspect, including restoration techniques and infrastructure systems, a structure that supports local cultural life, and a new green living space for visitors. In addition, the Library is a platform by which ancient resources and information are carried to future generations.
İstanbul’s ‘Living Library’
The Rami Library was brought to İstanbul in a manner designed to meet the cultural, educational and artistic needs of society within the concept of a “living library” and within the scope of the modern librarianship concept. The library will provide a «brand new library experience» to visitors of all ages with its diversity. The Atatürk Studies Specialization Library, inside Rami, will become the largest Atatürk specialized library in Türkiye. This section presents a rich collection consisting of more than 20,000 books serving researchers and readers working especially in the fields of social and human sciences, along with works related to the history of the Republic of Türkiye, Turkish language and culture, especially the history of Atatürk.
The past carried to the future in the “Şifahane” – restoration unit
The manuscripts registered in the library’s inventory and rare printed works are conserved in the “Şifahane” (restoration unit) placed inside the Manuscripts Library. The deterioration of various volumes and books is evaluated through studies carried out in the Library’s laboratory, and restoration works are meticulously undertaken by experts. Artefacts in the care of the Şifahane are kept in storage areas under suitable conditions and regularly maintained. Expected to become a ‘premier attraction point’ in İstanbul across the fields of culture, history and art, the Rami Library offers millions of books, non-book materials and digital resources to readers and researchers. The Library will also host talks, seminars, workshops and exhibitions throughout the year.
From Historical Barracks to the Largest Library in Türkiye
The Rami Farm Barracks, as it is known in the archive records, was erected by Grand Vizier Rami Mehmet Pasha during the reign of Sultan Mustafa III (1757-1774) of the Ottoman Empire. The barracks, which also served the army in the Republican period, were actively used until the 1960s. The barracks have been transformed into one of the most important libraries in Türkiye, with restoration work starting in 2014 and completed in 2023.