Establishment and Continuity of the Rüstem Pasha Madrasa Library

Abstract

This article aims to contribute to Ottoman book culture studies regarding collections and foundation libraries. It examines the book collection of Rüstem Pasha, one of the viziers of the Süleyman the Magnificent, in the Süleymaniye Manuscript Library. Rüstem Pasha's wealth of books is emphasized in historical sources. He established a high-grade madrasa in Istanbul in the mid-16th century and endowed a book collection necessary for education. This article compares the books specified in Pasha's endowment deed with the catalog of the collection issued during Abdulhamid II's reign, and its current state to reveal the formation of the collection and how it has survived to the present day. While the endowment deed provides detailed information about the first books endowed to the madrasa, the collection itself and the Hamidian-era catalog provide information about the books that were lost and added to the collection over time.