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Turhan Turgut RDP FRPSL has informed us that the Ottoman Postal History Research Association has recently commenced operations.

The Association is a specialist organisation that aims to research the historical development, institutional structure, international relations and material culture of the Ottoman Empire’s postal, telegraph and communications activities. The fact that the postal history of each of the nearly thirty states that emerged after the end of the Ottoman Empire is woven into Ottoman history highlights the international importance of the subject. The Association aims to reveal the unique research potential of this vibrant and fascinating field from both historical science and philatelic perspectives; it seeks to transform this accumulated knowledge into a systematic, accessible, and permanent source of information.

The Association has adopted as its fundamental objective the bringing together of the knowledge accumulated by academic researchers and philatelists, which often progresses on separate planes, within a common working culture. In other words, it will bring the academic world and the collecting community together under one roof, thereby establishing a sustainable, accessible structure for Ottoman postal history studies that fosters mutual exchange of information. In this regard, it aims to promote the verification of sources, the evaluation of documents using scientific methods, and cooperation to ensure the effective use of archival material, thereby enabling Ottoman postal history research to reach a high level both nationally and internationally.

The Association accepts scientific objectivity, source reliability, and academic ethical principles as the core of its work. Its activities in this context include organising seminars, exhibitions, workshops, and conferences in collaboration with public institutions, universities, national and international philatelic organisations, research centres, and museums.

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