Collection Guide

Summary

Title

Mehmet Nihat Nigizberk Collection of Architectural Drawings and Photographs Collection

Abstract 

The Mehmet Nihat Nigizberk Collection of Architectural Drawings and Photographs consists of different types of archival documents of the architect such as photographs, photo cards, notebooks, plans and architectural drawings related to specific historical buildings and also construction and restoration projects. These archival materials, which bear witness to the Late Ottoman and early republican era in Türkiye, reflect the conditions of the historical monuments (primarily examples of Anatolian Seljuks, Ottoman, Mamluk and Arab architecture) and also applications of architectural practices in construction and restoration as well as the social and cultural environment of the period. 

Creator / Collector

Mehmet Nihat Nigizberk, 1880- 1945

Repository / Institution

Suna Kıraç Library, Special Collections and Archives

Date Coverage

1909-1943

Format

2271 Photocards and Photographs (Including the extra copies) ; 320 Glass Negatives; 72 Drawings; 68 Blueprints; 19 Postcards; 16 Notebooks (6980 pages in total)

Language

OttomanTurkish, French, Arabic, English

Acquisition Information

The Mehmet Nihat Nigizberk Collection Architectural Drawings and Photographs was acquired with donation in 2017.

Access and Usage Rights

Access 

Open for use for researchers.

Digital access

All archival materials except glass negatives and double copies are digitized and accessible through Suna Kıraç Library Digital Collections website.

Physical Access

All archival materials in the collection can be viewed in Suna Kıraç Library Special Collections and Archives Room.

Rights

Materials in this collection generally fall under the copyright of Koç University. These materials are publicly available for personal, educational use. Please contact the University Archives staff for permission for other uses at digitalresources@ku.edu.tr

Preferred Attribution

[Title of the item], [Identification of item]. Mehmet Nihat Nizigberk Collection of Architectural Drawings and Photographs, Koç University Suna Kıraç Library, Special Collections and Archives. [Reference URL for digitized copies]

Contents

Scope and Contents of Collection

The Mehmet Nihat Nigizberk Collection of Architectural Drawings and Photography consists of photographs, photo cards, notebooks, plans and architectural drawings related to specific historical buildings and also construction and restoration projects in the architect’s archive. These archival materials, which bear witness to the Late Ottoman and early republican era in Türkiye, reflect the conditions of the historical monuments (primarily examples of Anatolian Seljuks, Ottoman, Mamluk and Arab architecture) and also applications of architectural practices in construction and restoration as well as the social and cultural environment of the period.

The photographs and photo cards, as the main body of the collection located in 18 albums and 11 envelopes,  comprised of images of over 100 unique structures in over 40 cities such as İstanbul, Bursa, Konya, Damascus, Jerusalem, Gaza and Cairo ranging in the geographies of Anatolia, the Middle East   and North Africa.

The notebooks of the architect  (16 in total), dating from 1909 to 1948, also form a valuable source for researchers as they contain a wide range of information related to architect’s restoration and construction projects, voyage notes, personal observations, architectural calculations, drawings, construction material types and their prices.

Researchers are able to navigate through the collection by filtering the records for specific structures, locations, structure types, architectural elements as well as document types. 

Filter Specifications

Structure

Location

Structure Type

Architectural Element

Material Type

Inventory

Records are organized parallel to the original order and provenance principles of the collector. 

Descriptions and contents of the collection boxes are accessible through the library’s catalog. 

Process Notes

Digitization

Original scanned with Zeutschel OS 12000C A2 scanner and saved as 300 ppi uncompressed tiffs. Display images are in jpeg format compressed by %80.