General Directorate of Foundations Central Library

T.R. The General Directorate of Foundations, a special budget public institution affiliated with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, is the main institution representing the deep-rooted foundation civilization in Turkey, whose roots date back to the Ministry of Evkaf-ı Hümayun in the Ottoman Empire. While the Directorate directly manages the foundations whose management has been entrusted to it (seized), it supervises the activities of annexed and new foundations and ensures that these institutions operate in accordance with their establishment purposes. It preserves the architectural heritage by undertaking the restoration of immovable cultural assets such as historical mosques, inns, madrasahs and libraries, and preserves the rich foundation archives and makes them available to researchers. In addition, the foundation provides social services such as food aid to those in need, scholarships to students and needy pensions with the income it earns by operating its real estate, thus keeping the tradition of cooperation and solidarity from the past alive today and transferring it to future generations.