Ottoman Bank Archives and Research Centre (OBARC) via SALT Research, Istanbul

Overview

The Ottoman Bank Archives and Research Centre (OBARC) was an Istanbul-based research institution that managed the historical archive of the Ottoman Bank and developed programs focusing on the economic, social, urban, and political history of the Ottoman Empire and early Turkish Republic. Its infrastructure and collections were transferred to SALT in 2011 and are now accessible through the SALT Research digital archive at archives.saltresearch.org.

History and Founding

OBARC was founded in March 1997 by the Ottoman Bank in collaboration with the History Foundation of Turkey (Tarih Vakfı). It formally opened in 1999 in the former Head Office of the Ottoman Bank on Bankalar Caddesi (Bankers' Street) in Galata, Istanbul — a building designed by French Levantine architect Alexandre Vallaury in 1892. Following the merger of the Ottoman Bank with Garanti Bank in December 2001, OBARC continued under the aegis of Garanti Bank until it terminated its activities at the end of 2010. In 2011, Garanti Bank (later Garanti BBVA) established SALT, combining OBARC, Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center, and Garanti Gallery into a single cultural institution. SALT Research now stewards the Ottoman Bank Archives collection.

Collections and Holdings

The Ottoman Bank Archives cover the period from 1847 to 1925, with particular depth for 1870–1900. Holdings include the Documentation Annex with digital copies of visual materials such as the Oriental Trade Directories (Annuaire Oriental du Commerce), newspapers and magazines, monographs, statistics, state reports, trade correspondence, postage stamps, coins and paper money, decorations and medals, calling cards and postcards, photographs, blueprints, and maps. Records kept by the Italian Consulate in Istanbul documenting the Italian presence in the late Ottoman Empire are also included. The associated specialized library holds approximately 16,000 monographs and 1,200 serial titles in major European and Middle Eastern languages, focusing on the economic, political, social, and urban history of the Ottoman Empire and Turkish Republic from the Tanzimat era onward.

Research Activities

During its operation, OBARC organized over 400 conferences, symposia, workshops, and exhibitions, and produced approximately 70 publications. It hosted the Voyvoda Street Meetings (2000–2010), organized The Making of Modern Turkey Seminars (2003–2009), and established the Ottoman Bank Museum in 2002. Between 2000 and 2009, it ran a bi-annual Prize Competition for Research on History of Banking and Finance in collaboration with the European Association for Banking and Financial History.

Access via SALT Research

The Ottoman Bank Archives are now accessible through SALT Research, located at Salt Galata in the original Ottoman Bank headquarters building. SALT Research is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00–19:00. Researchers may contact salt.research@saltonline.org for queries. The archive is also partially accessible online via archives.saltresearch.org.