EURAS President, Dr. Mustafa AYDIN and EURAS General Secretary, Muzaffer BACA Visited the Vatican Secret Archives in Vatican on 23 October, 2015
Eurasian Universit
ies Union (EURAS) President Dr. Mustafa Aydin and Archbishop Jean-Louis Brugues, O.P. archivist of the Vatican Secret Archives, signed an agreement which will allow historical documents from Ottoman Empire to Republic era to be exhibited at Eurasian Universities Uninon in Turkish and English for EURAS Member Universities.
Euras General Secretary Muzaffer Baca, Press Spokesperson of Turkey to Vatican and Istanbul Aydin University, Director of the Archives Research Center Rinaldo Marmara joined EURAS President Dr. Mustafa Aydin during his visit to Vatican.
Archbishop Jean-Louis Brugues, O.P., has informed Dr. Mustafa Aydin and his delegates about the Vatican Secret Archives which has 65 kilometers long shelves.
EURAS President Dr. Mustafa Aydin, speaking about the collaboration agreement said, “ This is great news for us. This will shed light to Ottoman and Republican era with the documents that were buried in Vatican Secret Archives.
Correspondences between representatives at Vatican from Ottoman and Republic era, many of the historical documents, and observations reflecting the life of that era will be translated into Turkish and English.
Under the directorship of Turkey’s Spokesperson to Vatican Rinaldo Marmara, who has been working at Istanbul Aydın University since July 1st, documents archived at Vatican will be shared with public based on their eras under the program called ‘ Ottoman and Republic Era Researhes at Vatican Archives.’
Vatican archives will be available for EURAS Members, researchers and students and books about the Crusades and the Gallipoli War will be published after a careful examination of the archives. Vatican’s policies during the Ottoman’s European Conquest will be published as well.
Vatican archives and documents in the library are very precious for researchers. If we can bring those regarding to our history out and let them be known for the world we would be accomplishing a great deal of our duty.”
According to the information given by Rinaldo Marmara, the library preserves 70,000 manuscripts, over a million published boks, 100 thousand maps and drawings at Vatican Library. Built in 1985, the most precious maps are kept underneath the internal courtyard of the Library in a 700 metersquare bunker.
Marmara pointed out that there are thousands of documents regarding many countries’ history including Turkey, that were not brought to light that time and experience are needed to bring them to light.
Marmara brought the correspondence between Ottoman Sultans and Papas and Kings at the time to light. Papa IX. Pio’s letters to Abdulmecid written between 1848-1850, letters between Sultan Ahmet III. and Papa VII Alessandro about true friendship, Ahmet III letter to Polish King heralding the news of his ascending the throne and approving previous peace agreement signed by the previous sultan, Resad V’s manuscripts to Papa are some just to name a few.
Francesco Zenco’s 65 pages long manuscript describing Turkish traditions of Beyazid II era, Giacomo Soranzo’s 40 pages long manuscript about Turkey written in 1576 are among the works in archives. Foreign Affairs department of the Archive has the Treaty of Lausanne and documents regarding nonmuslims