Oxbridge Journal
IJIR UK
OXBRIDGE PUBLISHING
Research Article Multidisciplinary Studies Received: Accepted: Published: 185 Views

From Imperial Recordkeeping To Digital Archival Governance: Institutional Continuity, Documentary Heritage, And Fragilities In Turkish Cypriot Archival Practice (1571-2004)

DOI: 10.66695/ijir.v1i3.003 Zenodo Archive.org CC BY 4.0
GŞ

Lect. Gökhan Şengör

ORCID

Academic Author — Archive Specialist

Full Article (PDF) Download Full Article
Reading Tools
16px
You left off here
Reading Tools
16px

This article examines the institutional, administrative, material, and technological transformation of Turkish Cypriot archival practice from Ottoman rule to the period of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Drawing on Gokhan Sengor’s master’s thesis Ottoman to Present-Day Turkish Cypriot Archival Practice, the article re-theorizes the thesis material through contemporary archival science, records management, diplomatics, provenance, original order, the records life cycle, the records continuum, and digital archival governance. Methodologically, the study adopts a qualitative historical-documentary design. It analyses Ottoman-era sharia court registers, correspondence offices, registers, and waqf-related documentation; the British colonial registry system, court files, official gazettes, general orders, and administrative correspondence practices; post-1960 transitional administrations and institutional fragmentation; and the establishment, collections, legislation, staff training, preservation challenges, and early digitization initiatives of the National Archives and Research Department. The findings indicate that Turkish Cypriot archival practice is not merely a technical field concerned with the storage of documents, but a strategic memory regime closely related to sovereignty, institutional memory, the rule of law, cultural heritage, identity continuity, and administrative accountability. The article argues that the central problem lies in the absence of an integrated archival governance architecture extending from records creation to archival appraisal, from preservation environments to access policies, and from public information systems to secure electronic records. Consequently, the article proposes a seven-layer model of archival governance for Turkish Cypriot archival practice and argues that the National Archives should be repositioned not as a passive repository, but as a central information institution that sets standards, audits agencies, trains staff, preserves documentary heritage, and ensures access from the earliest stages of the records life cycle.

Keywords: Turkish Cypriot archival practice National Archives records management archival governance sharia court registers digital archives

References

  1. [1] Akgunduz, A. (1994). Osmanli kanunnameleri ve hukuki tahlilleri [Ottoman law codes and legal analyses]. Osmanli Arastirmalari Vakfi.
  2. [2] Alasya, H. F. (1939). Kibris tarihi [History of Cyprus]. Lefkosa.
  3. [3] An, A. (1987). Kibris Turk Milli Arsivi ve Arastirma Merkezi [The Turkish Cypriot National Archives and Research Centre]. Yeni Kibris, IV(5), 21-24; IV(6), 20-22.
  4. [4] Aslan, N. (1998). Milli arsivimiz icerisinde Ser'iyye Sicilleri: Egitim ve terminoloji problemi [Sharia court registers within our National Archives: The problem of education and terminology]. In I. Milli Arsiv Surasi 20-21 Nisan 1998 (pp. 187-194). T.C. Basbakanlik Devlet Arsivleri Genel
  5. [5] Mudurlugu.
  6. [6] Bayhan, H. M. (1999). Belge yonetimi, arsivler ve bilgi toplumu [Records management, archives, and the information society]. Turk Kutuphaneciligi, 13(3).
  7. [7] Bedevi, V. H. (1971). Kibris Ser'i Mahkeme Sicilleri uzerinde arastirmalar [Studies on Cyprus sharia court registers]. In Milletlerarasi Birinci Kibris Tetkikleri Kongresi Turk Heyeti Tebligleri (p. 139).
  8. [8] Biddulph, Major-General. (1880). Report by Her Majesty's High Commissioner for the year 1879. London.
  9. [9] Cook, T. (1997). What is past is prologue: A history of archival ideas since 1898, and the future paradigm shift. Archivaria, 43, 17-63.
  10. [10] Cinar, A. O. (1998). Osmanli Imparatorlugu'nda Tanzimat'tan sonra kurulan tasra arsivleri [Provincial archives established after the Tanzimat in the Ottoman Empire]. In I. Milli Arsiv
  11. [11] Surasi 20-21 Nisan 1998 (pp. 259-284). T.C. Basbakanlik Devlet Arsivleri Genel Mudurlugu.
  12. [12] Dedecay, S. S. (1991). Kibris'ta Kibrisli Turklere ait kutuphaneler ve kitapevleri [Libraries and bookshops belonging to Turkish Cypriots in Cyprus]. Ozel Turk Universitesi.
  13. [13] Duranti, L. (1998). Diplomatics: New uses for an old science. Scarecrow Press.
  14. [14] Gazioglu, A. C. (1960). Ingiliz idaresinde Kibris 1878-1960 [Cyprus under British rule, 1878-1960]. Ekin Basimevi.
  15. [15] Gazioglu, A. C. (1994). Kibris'ta Turkler (1570-1878): 308 yillik Turk donemine yeni bir bakis [Turks in Cyprus (1570-1878): A new perspective on the 308-year Turkish period]. Kibris Arastirma ve Yayin Merkezi.
  16. [16] International Council on Archives. (2000). ISAD(G): General international standard archival description (2nd ed.). ICA. ISO. (2016). ISO 15489-1:2016 Information and documentation - Records management - Part 1: Concepts and principles. International Organization for Standardization.
  17. [17] Jenkinson, H. (1922). A manual of archive administration. Clarendon Press.
  18. [18] Jennings, R. C., et al. (1977). Archival materials and research facilities in Turkish Federated State of Cyprus: Ottoman Empire, British Empire, Cyprus Republic.
  19. [19] Kutukoglu, M. S. (1998). Osmanli belgelerinin dili: Diplomatik [The language of Ottoman documents: Diplomatics]. Kubbealti Nesriyati.
  20. [20] Muhteva bakimindan Milli Arsiv [The National Archives in terms of content]. (1976). Genclik, Spor ve Kultur Isleri Dairesi.
  21. [21] Ongan, H. (1958). Ankara'nin 1 numarali Ser'iyye Sicili [Ankara sharia court register no. 1]. Turk Tarih Kurumu.
  22. [22] Ozdemirci, F. (1996). Kurum ve kuruluslarda belge uretiminin denetlenmesi ve belge yonetimi [Control of record creation and records management in institutions and organizations]. Turk Kutuphaneciler Dernegi.
  23. [23] Ozdemirci, F. (1999). Arsivlerimizin kurumsal yapilanma gereksinimleri [The institutional structuring needs of our archives]. In Bilginin seruveni: Dunu, bugunu, yarini (pp. 366-383). Turk Kutuphaneciler Dernegi.
  24. [24] Schellenberg, T. R. (1956). Modern archives: Principles and techniques. University of Chicago Press.
  25. [25] Sedat, M. (1323). Usul-i kitabet-i resmiyye [Principles of official correspondence]. Turkiye Kitaphanesi.
  26. [26] Sengor, G. (2004). Osmanlidan gunumuze Kibris Turk arsivciligi [Ottoman to present-day Turkish Cypriot archival practice] [Master's thesis, Near East University]. The Cyprus Gazette. (1878-1960). Government Printing Office.
  27. [27] Upward, F. (1996). Structuring the records continuum, part one: Postcustodial principles and properties. Archives and Manuscripts, 24(2), 268-285.
  28. [28] Yazir, M. B. (1972). Medeniyet aleminde yazi ve Islam medeniyetinde kalem guzeli [Writing in the civilized world and beautiful calligraphy in Islamic civilization]. Diyanet Isleri Baskanligi.
  29. [29] Zia, N. (1975). Kibris'in Ingiltere'ye gecisi ve adada kurulan Ingiliz idaresi [The transfer of Cyprus to Britain and the British administration established on the island]. Turk Kulturunu Arastirma Enstitusu.