Ottoman Library Architecture and Institutional Structure in Eighteenth-Century Istanbul: An Examination Through the Waqfiyya of The Ragıp Pasha Library

Abstract

The proliferation of independent libraries in eighteenth-century Ottoman Istanbul indicates the institutionalization of knowledge within the waqf system. This study examines the Râgıp Pasha Library, constructed in Laleli between 1762 and 1763, through the relationship between its architectural composition and its waqfiyya text. The spatial organization and architectural characteristics of the Râgıp Pasha Library are analyzed, and its position among eighteenth-century Istanbul libraries is evaluated within a comparative framework. The waqfiyya text is also treated as the principal source defining the institution's operational structure, personnel organization, reading practices, and economic sustainability. In addition, the current condition of the building and the conservation problems that emerged during the restoration process are briefly evaluated in the context of the disjunctions between the original and the present state. The findings demonstrate a strong correspondence between the spatial organization and the institutional structure defined through the waqfiyya. In this context, the Râgıp Pasha Library is evaluated as an exemplary model of a library-centered külliye in which architectural, institutional, and economic dimensions were integrated within the Ottoman library institution.