Erdoğan opens Türkiye’s biggest university library

ISTANBUL

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Aug. 12 inaugurated Türkiye’s largest-ever university library, featuring 1 million volumes of printed books on its shelves and seating for up to 3,000 people.

“Our ancestors say that the lands conquered by the sword will be held by the pen… It is impossible for the nations that break off contact with books and libraries to survive,” Erdoğan said, addressing the opening ceremony of Istanbul Medeniyet University Ziraat Bank Library and Central Classroom Building.

“Although it is not given its due, the contribution of our civilization to the world’s scientific and cultural heritage is of a magnitude that cannot be ignored,” Erdoğan stated.

The government is also working on turning the Rami Barracks into a library in Istanbul, he added.

The national libraries put into service by the metropolitan, provincial and district municipalities also meet a crucial need in their neighborhoods, he said, adding that the government ensured the establishment of libraries in all schools affiliated with the Education Ministry.

“In a short time, we brought together more than 57,000 schools with libraries. We increased the number of books by three times to 70 million. Hopefully, by the end of the year, we will complete this to 100 million,” he stated.

“If we, as a nation, have a cause for civilization, a love of reviving our civilization, we cannot do this without libraries,” Erdoğan stated.

The president emphasized that starting from the schools, they want to place books, reading, and therefore libraries, at the center of every aspect of the people’s lives in the country.

Today, the world is going through a period in which the pain of a radical change is experienced, he said.

“Türkiye, not only for itself but as the representative of whole geography and civilization that has directed its eyes and heart to this country, has to achieve this struggle. We will take our civilization to the top by following the footsteps of our ancestors who took the power of knowledge, wisdom and virtue as their guide,” Erdoğan stated.

Erdoğan said he closely follows the university, which has developed since 2010 and achieved “successes mentioned with pride both in and outside the country.”

“I would like to congratulate our rector and our professors who have worked sincerely to represent our cause of science and wisdom in the best way around the world and to put into practice the statement that the university is civilization,” he stated.

The Ziraat Bank Library of Istanbul Medeniyet University provides lockers, parking garages, a mosque, conference halls, single and multiple study desks, group and study rooms, relaxation and mind games areas, equipped with all the facilities of a modern library, which cost 93 million liras.