The Research Centre For Islamic History, Art and Culture ( tr, İslâm Tarih, Sanat ve Kültür Araştırma Merkezi; abbreviated as IRCICA), also known as the Istanbul Research Center for Islamic Culture and Arts is the first cultural centre and a subsidiary organ of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation established in 1979 after the

Republic of Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

proposed IRCICA in the 7th Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (now the

OIC Council of Foreign Ministers french: Conseil des ministres des affaires étrangères , native_name_lang = tr , logo = , logo_size = , logo_alt = , logo_caption = , image = OIC_Logo_since_2011.svg , image_s ...

), in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

, 1976. The proposal was adopted by the OIC under the

resolution Resolution(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Resolution (debate), the statement which is debated in policy debate * Resolution (law), a written motion adopted by a deliberative body * New Year's resolution, a commitment that an individual mak ...

no
3/7-ECS
It formally started inaugural functioning on 23 May 1982. The Research Center for Islamic History, Art and Culture is focused on various academic principles concerning the history of

Muslim countries The terms Muslim world and Islamic world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. In ...

, arts and sciences in Islam,

Islamic culture Islamic culture and Muslim culture refer to cultural practices which are common to historically Islamic people. The early forms of Muslim culture, from the Rashidun Caliphate to the early Umayyad period and the early Abbasid period, were predomi ...

, and civilization. Likewise the OIC, Research Centre For Islamic History, Art and Culture works under the 57 members of the OIC and are permanent representatives of the IRCICA.

History

The IRCICA was originally introduced by the OIC after the Republic of Turkey, a member of the OIC proposed the idea. However, the establishment of Statute of the centre was created later when the OIC adopted a resolution in the 9th summit of

foreign minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

s held in

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ...

in 1978. It later redesigned by adopting a resolution no. 1/6-Org (IS) in the 6th summit held in Dakar, 1991. It was officially made operational in 1980 when the foreign ministers of the 57 members states held 11th summit in

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...

. IRCICA functioned under its own

mandate Mandate most often refers to: * League of Nations mandates, quasi-colonial territories established under Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations, 28 June 1919 * Mandate (politics), the power granted by an electorate Mandate may also ...

from 1983 to 2000 and thereafter, it serves as a secretariat and

executive organ Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

of the

International Commission for the Preservation of Islamic Heritage International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

(ICPICH), which became fully operational after the 13th summit of foreign ministers was held in Niamey, 1982. The International Commission for the Preservation of Islamic Heritage (ICPICH) was later merged into IRCICA in June 2000 after the 27th summit of foreign ministers was held in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

. The decision was taken soon after chairperson of the ICPICH, Faisal bin Fahd Al Saud died in 1999. He was also serving as the president of the Youth Welfare, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. After merger took place, all works of the ICPICH were incorporated to work programs of the IRCICA.

Abbreviated name

The Research Centre For Islamic History, Art and Culture – RCIHAC was so difficult to pronounce and remember, the OIC took a decision to change it into IRCICA which means I Istanbul or international, R Research, C Centre, I Islamic, C Culture, and A Arts. Due to its common usage and scope, the organisation was to be identified with this rare abbreviation and it was adopted as the official abbreviation of the organisation than being known as RCIHAC.

Logo

IRCICA's logo do not indicate its significance or background, but it was created coincidentally in 1985 when the organisation was making

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

s about

calligraphy Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

. At the same time, a Turkish architecture named Özkul Eren presented a logo that was subsequently adopted by the IRCICA as its official identify.

Motto

The verse number 13 of surah

Al-Hujurat Al-Hujurat ( ar, الحُجُرات, The Chambers) is the 49th chapter (''surah'') of the Quran with 18 verses ('' āyāt''). The chapter contains etiquette and norms to be observed in the Muslim community, including the proper conduct towards ...

, the 49th chapter of the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...

was adopted organization's motto. ) , title = Surah

, Verse 13 , source = Research Centre For Islamic History, Art and Culture – IRCICA. ''IRCICA , Research Centre For Islamic History, Art and Culture.'' 1980-01-01. Illuminated by a Turkish writer, Rikkat Kunt, motto is calligraphed by

Hasan Çelebi Hasan Çelebi, born 1937 in Erzurum, Turkey, is a Turkish master of Islamic calligraphy. He is a student of Hamid Aytaç. Çelebi has devoted his whole life to calligraphy, and has been described by Caryle Murphy of ''The Washington Post'' as one ...

, a Turkish Islamic calligrapher.

Organisational structure

IRCICA's

organizational structure An organizational structure defines how activities such as task allocation, coordination, and supervision are directed toward the achievement of organizational aims. Organizational structure affects organizational action and provides the foundat ...

is collectively known as boards and departments. It consists the

general assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

, the

governing board A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

and

director general A director general or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals'' ) or general director is a senior executive (government), executive officer, often the chief executive offi ...

that perform different functions in its various departments. *General Assembly issues guidelines concerning its activities. It determines budget proposals for its submission to the Council of Foreign Ministers. *Governing Board is a governing body of the organisation. It consists representatives of nine member states, including one representative from the host country Turkey. They are elected by the General Assembly the

Islamic Commission for Economic, Cultural and Social Affairs Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the mai ...

. *Departments it consists four main departments for the different purposes: **Research and Publications Department ***Studies on the Holy Quran ***Islamic Civilization and Muslim Nations ***Cultural and Architectural Heritage ***Islamic Arts and Handicrafts **Library and Archive Department ***Library ***Archive **Administration and Finance Department ***Finance ***Personnel ***General services **Information Technology Department The first

of the organisation was Doğan Kuban, who also served a professor at Istanbul Technical University while the second and current director general is Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu. The

board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

consists of a

secretary general Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

or any representative of the OIC, a director general, and 10 academician with significant experience in arts and culture. They are elected from member states for a term of 3 years. All representatives, including director general is approved by the

Supreme Council of the Organization of the Islamic Conference Supreme may refer to: Entertainment * Supreme (character), a comic book superhero * ''Supreme'' (film), a 2016 Telugu film * Supreme (producer), hip-hop record producer * "Supreme" (song), a 2000 song by Robbie Williams * The Supremes, Motown-e ...

. The board of directors also served at the International Commission for the Preservation of Islamic Cultural Heritage (ICPICH), however, it was disestablishments in 2000 and all its duties were transferred to IRCICA. ICPICH was established in 1983. The IRCICA's director general is recruited through an advertisement issued to 57 member states. It receives basic salary amounting $5,500, including other allowance under the OIC Personal Regulations.

Al-Farabi Digital Library

IRCICA Al-Farabi Digital Library specialises in

digital library A digital library, also called an online library, an internet library, a digital repository, or a digital collection is an online database of digital objects that can include text, still images, audio, video, digital documents, or other digital me ...

using latest technology and software such as

optical character recognition Optical character recognition or optical character reader (OCR) is the electronic or mechanical conversion of images of typed, handwritten or printed text into machine-encoded text, whether from a scanned document, a photo of a document, a scen ...

(OCR) technology. It took 5 years to update and maintain. The library software was developed in 2011 and

Ottoman Turkey The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

became readable after software upgradation took place. The publishing material in library is used by researchers across the 75 countries, including the United States, Germany, Greece, Iran, Britain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and France, in addition to Turkey. It consists 85,000 books, including

thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

in 145 languages. The library houses 120,000 periodicals, 12,250

grey literature Grey literature (or gray literature) is materials and research produced by organizations outside of the traditional commercial or academic publishing and distribution channels. Common grey literature publication types include reports (annual, rese ...

, 4,300 offprints, 1,700 maps, 264,000

archival research Archival research is a type of research which involves seeking out and extracting evidence from archival records. These records may be held either in collecting institutions, such as libraries and museums, or in the custody of the organization ( ...

, 1,650 audio and video cassettes, and 750 CDs and DVDs. It also consists 23,500

transparencies A transparency, also known variously as a viewfoil, foil, or viewgraph, is a thin sheet of transparency (optics), transparent flexible material, typically polyester (historically cellulose acetate), onto which figures can be drawn. These are then ...

, 1,150 microfi ches and microfi

learning management system A learning management system (LMS) is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, automation, and delivery of educational courses, training programs, materials or learning and development programs. The learni ...

. Considered one of the prominent libraries in Turkey, it is housed in imperial residence,

Yıldız Palace Yıldız Palace ( tr, Yıldız Sarayı, ) is a vast complex of former imperial Ottoman pavilions and villas in Istanbul, Turkey, built in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was used as a residence by the sultan and his court in the late 19th ...

, Istanbul.

Objectives

The organisation is objectively focused on conducting and publishing research concerning Islamic civilization, organize conferences, in addition to conducting

symposium In ancient Greece, the symposium ( grc-gre, συμπόσιον ''symposion'' or ''symposio'', from συμπίνειν ''sympinein'', "to drink together") was a part of a banquet that took place after the meal, when drinking for pleasure was acc ...

s and art exhibitions. It also conduct research in the field of Islamic history, art and culture across the world. Development of cooperation between the Muslim nations is also one of its duties. Its

academic discipline An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...

s are also focused on the

history of Science The history of science covers the development of science from ancient times to the present. It encompasses all three major branches of science: natural, social, and formal. Science's earliest roots can be traced to Ancient Egypt and Meso ...

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

, fine arts and traditional handicrafts, and preservation of cultural development. It also publish books within the framework of its objectives. It has published a total number of 72 books between 1980 and 2000. Between that time, it conducted 160 art exhibitions, 192 conferences, in addition to conducting 40 international meetings across the world. Within the scope of its objectives, the organisation has published books on the history and cultures of Turkic,

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

, the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...

, and African Muslim. It has published books on the

history of Turkey :''See History of the Republic of Turkey for the history of the modern state.'' The history of Turkey, understood as the history of the region now forming the territory of the Republic of Turkey, includes the history of both Anatolia (the Asia ...

titled ''Excluding the Ottoman State (Ankara 1994)'' and the ''Ottoman State and Civilization History (I-II, Istanbul 1994, 1998)''. The organisation conducted several conferences across the world that were subsequently turned into books. The

history of Pakistan The history of preceding the country's independence in 1947 is shared with that of Afghanistan, India, and Iran. Spanning the western expanse of the Indian subcontinent and the eastern borderlands of the Iranian plateau, the region of prese ...

book titled ''Islam in South Asia, Islamabad 1995'' was also published by the organisation. It has conducted conferences, later turned into books on various countries such as Malaysia and other Muslim countries. The

history of Malaysia Malaysia is located on a strategic sea lane that exposes it to global trade and various cultures. The name "Malaysia" is a modern concept, created in the second half of the 20th century. However, contemporary Malaysia regards the entire history ...

is covered by a book titled ''Islamic Civilization in the Malay World, Kuala Lumpur 1997'' while the

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

's civilization is covered by ''Islamic Civilization in West Africa in Dakar in 1996'', ''Islamic Civilization in the Caucasus'' published in 1998 and ''Islamic Civilization in the Balkans'' published in 2000. ''Science and Education in the Ottoman World'' book was published. The research centre has written a bibliography of

translations of the Quran Translations of the Qurʻan are considered interpretations of the scripture of Islam in languages other than Arabic. The Qurʻan was originally written in the Arabic language and has been translated into most major African, Asian and Europe ...

which into 65 different languages. Done between 1515 and 1980, all copies of

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printing, printed or repr ...

were published in Istanbul, 2000. Its audio translation has also been distributed into various languages such as

Wolof language Wolof (; Wolofal: ) is a language of Senegal, Mauritania, and the Gambia, and the native language of the Wolof people. Like the neighbouring languages Serer and Fula, it belongs to the Senegambian branch of the Niger–Congo language family. ...

, Hevsâ, Tamasheq, Songhay, Kanuri and

Fula language Fula ,Laurie Bauer, 2007, ''The Linguistics Student’s Handbook'', Edinburgh also known as Fulani or Fulah (, , ; Adlam: , , ), is a Senegambian language spoken by around 30 million people as a set of various dialects in a continuum that stre ...

s. A book titled ''Calligraphy in the Islamic Cultural Heritage'' was published in 1992 which was later printed in Turkish, Arabic, Japanese, English, and Malay languages. ''Islamic Architecture in Bosnia and Herzegovina'' concerning

culture of Bosnia and Herzegovina The culture of Bosnia and Herzegovina encompasses the country's ancient heritage, architecture, literature, visual arts, music, cinema, sports and cuisine. Ancient cultural heritage The rock-carving by an artist found in Badanj Cave near the ci ...

was published in 1994, ''The Old Bridge (Stari Most) in Mostar (Istanbul 1995)'', ''Studije o Bosni'', and ''Historijski Prilozi iz Osmansko-Turskog Perioda'' was published in 1994, in addition to publishing books titled ''Population of Bosnia in the Ottoman Period, 1994''. ''The End of the 19th Century in Bosnia'' was published in 1996, concerning disestablishments of Ottoman Empire in Bosnia.

Headquarters and buildings

IRCICA was initially headquartered in

Fatih Fatih () is a district of and a municipality (''belediye'') in Istanbul, Turkey, and home to almost all of the provincial authorities (including the governor's office, police headquarters, metropolitan municipality and tax office) but not the co ...

. It served its headquarters from its 1979 until July 2017. The organisation was relocated to

, Istanbul. The

president of Turkey The president of Turkey, officially the president of the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanı), is the head of state and head of government of Turkey. The president directs the executive branch of the government of Tu ...

allocated five buildings for the organisation in Istanbul. Yıldız Palace was the last palace of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. Other buildings donated by the

government of Turkey The Government of Turkey ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Hükûmeti) is the national government of Turkey. It is governed as a unitary state A unitary state is a sovereign state governed as a single entity in which the central government is the ...

are; Seyir Pavilion, Çit Qasr, Yaveran Qasr and Silahhane (

armoury An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

) Building. Çit Qasr was allotted in 1982 and Yaveran Qasr in 1984. Both Çit Qasr and Yaveran Qasr were either redesigned, restore or reconstructed by the organisation by raising funds contributed by the states and individuals. Silahhane Building has been its library which was restored by funds granted by the

prime minister of the United Arab Emirates The Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates is the head of government of the Federal government of the United Arab Emirates. While not required by the UAE constitution, the practice is that the ruler of Dubai serve as the prime minister and ...

and

Emir of Dubai This article lists the rulers of separate states on the territory of the United Arab Emirates, most of which became its Emirates. List of rulers of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi Al Nahyan of Al Abu Falah dynasty List of rulers of the Emirate of ...

, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. It was formally inaugurated as a library of the organisation by the

, the then

prime minister of Turkey The prime minister of the Republic of Turkey (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Başbakanı'') was the head of government of the Republic of Turkey from 1920 to 2018, who led a political coalition in the Grand National Assembly of ...

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician serving as the List of presidents of Turkey, 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as prime minister of Turkey from 2003 to 2014 and as Lis ...

on 17 May 2009. Bab-ı Ali Complex, headquarters of the IRCICA was moved from Yıldız Palace to Fatih. As of July 2017, Fatih district serves headquarters of the organisation. The building previously served as a

repository Repository may refer to: Archives and online databases * Content repository, a database with an associated set of data management tools, allowing application-independent access to the content * Disciplinary repository (or subject repository), an ...

of the Ottoman archives until 2014 after the president of Turkey allotted the building to IRCICA. Sublime Porte serves as Directorate General as well as exhibition hall of IRCICA. Other four buildings houses the department of research, library and

documentation Documentation is any communicable material that is used to describe, explain or instruct regarding some attributes of an object, system or procedure, such as its parts, assembly, installation, maintenance and use. As a form of knowledge manageme ...

, department of finance and administration. The main conference hall of Sublime Porte is used by the organisation as its library.

Awards establishment

The IRCICA has been distributing awards to those who have made significant contribution to the IRCICA cultural heritage and education. Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi was one of the recipients of IRCICA's award. It also conducts the International Calligraphy Competition award ceremony which is awarded to calligraphers who participate in the ceremony. The ninth competition held in 2013 involved in different writing styles such as jaly thuluth, thuluth, and naskh among others. A Turkish calligrapher Seyit Amhet Depeler achieved 1st position, while 2nd was Abdah Muhammad Hasan Al-Camal from Egypt and Ehab Ebraheem Thabet from Palestine was nominated as the 3rd winner.