The Center for Islamic Studies (ISAM) 
was founded in 1984 by the Turkiye Diyanet Foundation in 1984. The main objective of ISAM is to contribute to a truthful and scientific investigation presentation of Turkish/Islamic history, culture, and civilization. ISAM continues its academic work, especially concentrating on Islamic sciences, aspiring to make significant contributions to Turkish studies in particular and to Islamic studies in general through wide-ranging research projects involving the Middle East, Central Asia, the Balkans, and North Africa.
The ISAM Documentation
service holds 17,310 document folders in its collections. These folders are prepared by going through 135,562 books and 63,234 issues of 2,149 different kinds of journals that are connected with entries to be included in the TDV Encyclopedia of Islam published by ISAM. In addition to the researchers who are members of our Library, academics from outside Istanbul can also consult these document folders.
To conduct research in the archive, researchers must first apply for membership. Memberships are only given to researchers who are post-graduate students, PhD candidates and academic staff.
Ottoman Court Records Archive houses microfilm versions of the records from 27 Shari‘ah courts (9,895 defters, or registers) that are kept at the Office of the Jurisconsult of Istanbul (Istanbul Muftulugu), the Daily Account Books of the Rumelian and Anatolian Chief Military Judges (Rumeli ve Anadolu Kazarkerligi Ruznamceleri) (377 defters), the registers of the Head of the Descendents of the Prophet (Nakibu’l-Esraf defterleri) (33 defters), and the Judge seals (Kadi Muhurleri) (13 defters), and the Shari‘ah Court Records in the Milli Kutuphane (8,860 defters). In addition, it also contains microfilms of the court records from the Manastir region of Macedonia (185 defters) and from Livno, Mostar, Priyedor, Sarajevo, Temesvar, and Visoko regions (118 defters) which are kept at the archives of Sarajevo Oriental Studies Institute, Mostar / Herzegovina Archives, Sarajevo History Archives, and Gazi Husrev Bey Library.
Working hours: Everyday from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm
Email: kutuphane@isam.org.tr.
Telephone: (216) 474 08 50
Address: İcadiye Bağlarbaşı Caddesi, No: 38 34662 - Üsküdar / İSTANBUL
Location: View on Google Map