Towards the end of the 19th century, the French Embassy’s translation office was situated at the current IFEA’s currently location. Later, in 1930, the IFEA was originally founded as the French Archaeological Institute in Istanbul. Researches at the IFEA expanded up to turcology. And the institution became French Institute of Anatolian Studies in 1975. The IFEA aims to bring together European and Turkish researchers from various disciplines of social sciences, working on subjects related to Turkey. The IFEA hosts three main study units: archeology, history and contemporary studies. Researches at the IFEA cover a wide geographical area, stretching from Europe’s eastern border to Central Asia; as well as a wide chronology, from prehistory till the rise of the Turkish nation-state. New research observatories came up at the IFEA, especially towards the end of the 1980s, such as the observatory of the political life in Turkey (OVIPOT) and Istanbul Urban Observatory (OUI). Considering that the IFEA’s founder Albert Gabriel who was both architect and archaeologist, the OUI follows today institute’s urban studies tradition. The observatory collects data on contemporary Istanbul and other Turkish cities, welcomes young researchers within the frame of internships and organizes urban excursions. These outings help to follow urban development locally, multiply the connections and collect photographs, documentation and interviews. Monitoring is carried out on environmental, heritage and migration issues, as well as on major projects and urban transformation policies.

The institute’s library, houses various collections with a total of 40,000 documents, including 700 journals. These funds were set up in the course of the acquisitions from famous booksellers-publishers but also thanks to many donations. The library has a large collection of books devoted to archaeology in Asia Minor but also to the history of the Ottoman Empire and contemporary Turkey, since the 1970s. A large collection of books on Byzantine, Balkan and Turkish art and architecture is available at the library. The library also has 300 books of travels. Some of them date back to the 18th century. In the 1990s, a system of exchanges was set up with different institutions and universities. In the early 2000s, the catalogue system got computerized and is now available online. Different digitization projects have been recently launched in collaboration with French State Library as well as with RCAC Koç. The IFEA also launches sponsorship campaigns in order to preserve its institutional heritage and to restore old and valuable documents in the library. On the IFEA’s website, a researcher from the institute monthly proposes a theme in relation with his/her own research. These short texts are followed by a bibliography which points out the available sources at the library (www.ifea-istanbul.net).

The IFEA’s map collection was created in 2003 in order to manage rich and rare cartographic sources. The collection gathers more than 1500 original maps, including a large part of the 19th and early 20th centuries, precious atlases, and numerous digitized maps. A catalogue is being developed, and the most valuable documents are digitized after restoration (thanks to sponsorship). Acquisitions, inventory, restoration, exchanges, exhibitions and publications projects allow to enhance these collections. Thematic maps can also be created, just as the first map presenting Istanbul’s cultural heritage, within the frame of “European Capital of Culture” events in 2010.