Erdoğan blames past book purges for cultural desertification

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the destruction and disposal of books during periods of political intervention had helped create what he called cultural desertification.

He spoke at the “Tribute to the Book: Bookbinding and Restoration Exhibition,” held at Tophane-i Amire for the 40th anniversary of Eksim Holding. Erdoğan said those who once sought to sever the nation's ties with its roots had deliberately targeted books and libraries.

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Those who wanted to sever our nation's ties with its roots once targeted our books and libraries for a reason.

Turkey, he said, had seen valuable documents sold abroad as scrap for paper pulp. He described the worst book purges as having taken place during periods when national will and democracy were suspended. Citing the February 28 period, he said 4,500 works were thrown away from Istanbul University Library, including 500 books from Sultan Abdülhamid II's personal collection.

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The most shameful book purges took place during periods when national will and democracy were suspended.

Erdoğan argued that nations and individuals remain standing through their roots, and that books provide one of the strongest links to those roots. He also praised the late Abdullah and Fahreddin Tivnikli as businessmen who devoted their wealth to the nation, the country and people suffering oppression and hardship.

He said the İSAR Foundation's work to protect historical, cultural and civilizational works was particularly important. The supplied article ends during his remarks about the foundation's restoration activities.

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A person or nation without a past cannot have a future.