The Ahmed Arif Library, which was opening on April 4th 2021, was one of the first projects the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality undertook in transforming traditional libraries into living and cultural activity areas.
This library, named after the master poet Ahmed Arif, provides services in an 8-story building (1,258 square meters with a capacity of 155 people) located in the Sultangazi district of Istanbul. The library hosts a collection of 23 thousand works and contains workshop areas and YouTube studios for digital software and video applications. These facilities have proven popular with young people in recent years.
In the special section reserved for children there are also rich children's books and playgrounds.
At the Ahmed Arif gallery, located on the second floor of our library, there are books written about Ahmed Arif, with editions made in later years in different designs and languages, as well as the first edition of the poet's 1968 book, “Hasretinden Prangalar Eskittim” (Fetters Worn Out by Longing).
Ahmed Arif Library is one of the many libraries that we have brought into service in a disadvantaged area of Istanbul where social opportunities are limited. It hosts workshops and events in various fields from literature to theatre, and from painting to music.
The library also provides young people the opportunity to study in a comfortable environment and to participate in the study programs organized during the exam preparation periods.
All residents of the region can benefit from the lending services of Ahmed Arif Public Library as well as all other libraries affiliated to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Department of Cultural Heritage, Directorate of Libraries. Readers who wish to become members should apply to our libraries with an officially valid identity document such as a TR ID card, driver's license, or passport.
