Ottoman Bank Archives and Research Centre

Founded in March 1997 by the Ottoman Bank in collaboration with the History Foundation (Turkish: Tarih Vakfi), the Ottoman Bank Archives and Research Centre (OBARC) operated in the former Head Office of the Ottoman Bank in Istanbul, Turkey from 1999 to 2010. Its projects included 400 conferences, symposia, workshops and exhibitions; as well as 70 publications and a bi-annual prize competition.

Following the Ottoman Bank/Garanti Bank merger on December 16, 2001, OBARC continued under the aegis of Garanti Bank. To display the materials in the archives and promote research around political, economic, social and cultural history, OBARC established the Ottoman Bank Museum in 2002.

In 2011, building upon the activities and resources of OBARC and Garanti’s two other cultural institutions, Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center and Garanti Gallery – all of which have been dissolved - a new institution, SALT, was established. Founded by Garanti Bank, SALT is a public company operating under Garanti Culture Inc.

OBARC's lectures, seminars, symposia, workshops and prize competitions, whose related publications and texts will be made available via SALT Research, are summarized below:

Voyvoda Street Lectures

Beginning in 2000-2001, the Voyvoda Street Lecture series provided academics, students and members of the community an avenue to discuss issues regarding economic history, culture, archaeology, literature and other relevant topics in relation to Istanbul, as well as other urban centers.

Symposia

The Enlightenment Symposium series consisted of four symposia bringing together expert researchers for scholarly discussion on the Enlightenment. Academics from leading universities in Turkey discussed how Enlightenment philosophy had contributed to locking in place certain social problems in Turkey. Following the first symposium, curated by Prof. Binnaz Toprak in May 2007, a second, "Enlightenment and Modern Law: Contemporary Legal Issues and Law in Turkey," was chaired by Prof. Levent Köker. The objective of this symposium was to examine Turkey's historical experience in establishing a modern system of law based on Enlightenment philosophy, as well as critique this system's fundamental principles and institutions. The third symposium, “The Enlightenment, Turkey and Citizenship,” was curated by Prof. Fuat Keyman and addressed the concept of "citizenship" - both on a theoretical level and in relation to Turkey. The final symposium, "Enlightenment and Economy Symposium," was chaired by Prof. Taner Berksoy and coincided with the emergence of the 2008 global financial crisis.

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