Centre for Asia Minor Studies Archives (Oral Tradition, Photographic, Maps, Manuscripts) KMS

Overview

The Centre for Asia Minor Studies (KMS; Greek: Κέντρο Μικρασιατικών Σπουδών) is a scientific research institution in Athens, Greece, engaged since 1930 in the collection, documentation, and publication of research on the history and culture of Asia Minor Hellenism — the Greek Orthodox communities that inhabited the Asia Minor peninsula (modern Türkiye) until the 1922–23 population exchange. Its archival collections are among the most significant repositories of oral history, photographic documentation, and manuscript material relating to this diaspora community.

History and Founding

The Centre traces its origins to 1930, when ethnomusicologist Melpo Logotheti-Merlier (1890–1979), working in the aftermath of the Asia Minor Catastrophe of 1922 and the subsequent compulsory exchange of populations, established the Musical Folklore Archives to record and preserve the cultural heritage of Greek Orthodox refugees from Anatolia. The institution expanded its scope from music to encompass the full range of oral and written historical tradition, changing its name and organizational form over subsequent years. By the interwar period, field researchers were conducting systematic oral history interviews with refugees throughout Greece, and by the 1950s the institution had consolidated as the Centre for Asia Minor Studies, housed at 11 Kydathinaion Street in the Plaka neighborhood of Athens — a historic neoclassical building that had previously served as a residence of notable figures from the early Greek state.

Collections and Holdings

The Centre's archival collections are divided into seven principal sections:

• Archive of Oral Tradition: The flagship collection, comprising approximately 300,000 handwritten pages of transcribed interviews with 5,051 refugees from 1,475 Asia Minor settlements. Researchers documented topography, traditions, religious life, and social customs of communities across Cappadocia, Pontus, Ionia, and beyond.
• Archive of Manuscripts: Handwritten texts including community codices, ecclesiastical documents, and personal manuscripts from Asia Minor Greek communities.
• Archive of Photographs: Approximately 7,000 photographs documenting social and everyday life in Asia Minor from the late 19th century to 1922, as well as post-exile refugee settlement in Greece.
• Archive of Maps and Sketches: Cartographic materials related to the geography of Asia Minor and Greek settlement patterns.
• Private Archives: Personal and family archives donated by refugees or their descendants.
• Musical Folklore Archive: The original founding collection of folk music recordings and documentation.
• Archive of Melpo and Octave Merlier: Personal and professional papers of the Centre's founders.

The Library holds approximately 17,000 titles (Greek and foreign language) specializing in Asia Minor studies, including rare books, Karamanli publications (Ottoman-script texts by Orthodox Turkish-speaking communities), and periodicals published in the Ottoman Empire before 1922.

Notable Materials for Journalism and Media Research

The Centre's Library holds periodical editions published by Asia Minor Greek communities, including rare pre-1922 Ottoman-era publications. Its press cuttings and publications collection supports research into Greek diaspora media. The archive of oral testimonies also documents the role of community newsletters and cultural publications in refugee identity formation.

Access and Usage

The Centre's archives and library are accessible to researchers. It collaborates with universities in Greece and abroad, publishes a scholarly journal, and holds exhibitions, workshops, conferences, and seminars. Digitization of the Oral Tradition Archive (over 150,000 pages funded in part by the A.G. Leventis Foundation) has made materials increasingly accessible online. More information at kms.org.gr/en/archives.