The Hafız Ahmed Ağa Library, located on the Greek island of Rhodes, is attracting attention for its rich collection of Ottoman-era manuscripts and ongoing digitization work.
The library was established in Istanbul in 1792 through a foundation created by Hafız Ahmed Ağa, a native of Rhodes and son of Hasan. It officially opened in 1793 with an initial collection of 828 manuscripts, each bearing the founder’s seal.
Over time, some 1,200 additional works, including 459 manuscripts, were added to the collection through Ottoman institutions and private donors.
The library houses rare works in 20 different fields, primarily in Islamic studies, written in Ottoman Turkish, Arabic and Persian. Its holdings cover a wide range of subjects, including history, Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), hadith, Sufism, medicine and astronomy.
According to inventory records, 806 works from the original collection have survived to the present day. Including later additions, the total number of manuscripts now reaches 1,265.
Cataloging began in the library’s early years and a comprehensive catalog was prepared in 1795. In 1923, two separate catalogs were compiled in Ottoman Turkish, followed by a Turkish-language catalog in 1995. Between 1997 and 2001, John R. Barnes conducted a detailed inventory of the collection.
From 2008 to 2010, digital images of a significant portion of the collection were taken.
The library, actively used until the mid-20th century, became more of a museum after the death of its last librarian in 1963.
Among the collection’s most remarkable works is a handwritten Quran that was begun in 1401 by Ottoman calligraphers and completed in 1454. With a history of nearly 600 years, the manuscript was once stolen but later recovered through international efforts. It is now secured in steel cases under special protection measures.
