On July 3, 2025, the Hrant Dink Foundation Archive Team held a meeting in the Havak Hall of the Anarad Hığutyun Building, with the participation of representatives from Armenian foundations in Istanbul.
The purpose of the meeting was to share information about HDF's archival work, introduce the "Survey Report: Armenian Foundation Archives in Istanbul" planned for preparation in the upcoming period, and jointly evaluate the needs of the foundations.
In the first part of the meeting, Hrant Dink Foundation Archive Project Coordinator İren Bıçakçı briefly touched upon the archival work carried out by the foundation to date and provided information about the ongoing Armenian foundation archives project. She shared that in the previous period, they had worked on the archives of Getronagan High School, Karagözyan Orphanage, Pangaltı Anarad Hığutyun School, and Balat Surp Hıreşdagabed Church and Horenyan School; and that within the scope of the new project, they would be working on the archives of Samatya Surp Kevork Church and Sahakyan Nunyan School Foundation, and Üsküdar Surp Haç Tıbrevank High School Foundation. She conveyed that the archives of Armenian foundations in Istanbul are among the last surviving archives documenting the social and cultural life of the Armenian community; she presented examples of what historical traces could be followed through these archives.
In the continuation of the presentation, the objectives and working methods of the survey report, which will focus on the physical condition and content structure of the archives of Armenian foundations in Istanbul, were conveyed. It was emphasized that this report to be prepared aims to determine the current state and needs of foundation archives, provide feedback to foundation administrators for improving their archives accordingly, develop resources for necessary improvements, and guide HDF Archive's future work.
In the question-and-answer and sharing section following the presentation, participants engaged with great interest and active involvement. Foundation representatives shared their views on their own institutions' archival situations, the challenges they face, and potential areas of cooperation.
During the discussions, positive feedback regarding HDF Archive's work was shared, along with various needs and suggestions. The need for restoration of some physically deteriorated registers was expressed. Attention was drawn to problems experienced due to the lack of inventory records for objects found in churches; it was noted that involving art history experts in the process would be beneficial for addressing these deficiencies and raising awareness about the historical-cultural value of objects. These suggestions also pointed to solutions that could be developed together in the future. The meeting also touched upon efforts to evaluate buildings that were previously used as schools but are currently closed with new functions. The meeting fostered mutual learning and collective thinking in a warm and collaborative atmosphere.