In the heart of Galata, there is a library where you will find no books.
The Yadigâr Tohum Kütüphanesi (Ancestral Seed Library) is located at Postane, the beautifully restored former British Post Office in Istanbul. Created by artist Sinem Dişli as part of her Residency on the Road – Decolonizing Food project, the permanent seed library opened in February 2024.
Visual is taken from sinemdisli.com.
Its collection consists of atalık tohumlar — ancestral or heirloom seeds preserved and passed down through generations. These seeds carry more than genetic material. They contain the accumulated knowledge of farmers who selected, planted, saved and exchanged them, sometimes over centuries.
A glimpse at the Ancestral Seed Library
The library has particular significance in Turkey. Under Seed Law No. 5553, introduced in 2006, the commercial sale of unregistered seed varieties was prohibited. A regulation introduced in 2018 later created a legal pathway for local varieties to be registered, produced and marketed. Ancestral seeds themselves aren’t illegal to own or grow; what is restricted is selling them commercially without registration and certification.
This raises a fundamental question: Who owns a seed collectively created by generations of anonymous farmers?
Grandmothers saved it. Farmers selected it. Neighbours exchanged it. Villages kept it alive. Protecting these seeds is therefore not simply about agriculture. It is about biodiversity, cultural heritage and food sovereignty.
A glimpse at the Ancestral Seed Library
The library is also a living project. Seeds are sorted and preserved at Postane and returned to cultivation, including through its rooftop garden, so that they can produce future generations. Research documenting the library describes precisely this process of sorting seeds on the terrace and preserving them for the following year’s planting.
A glimpse at the Ancestral Seed Library
And you can encounter the project yourself. Postane is at Bereketzade Mahallesi, Camekan Sokak No. 9, Galata, and is open to the public; seed-related talks and public events are also held there.
Perhaps that is what makes Dişli’s work so powerful. She has turned the idea of a library inside out.
An ordinary library preserves memory through words.
Yadigâr Tohum Kütüphanesi preserves memory by planting it.
