A lifelong love of reading has led 61-year-old Faruk Yaman to transform his home into a vast private library, housing more than 70,000 books he has collected since childhood.
Yaman developed his passion for books in middle school, inspired by his father’s reading habits. Using any money he could spare, he began purchasing books, gradually amassing a personal collection that now rivals public libraries. However, as his collection grew, he struggled to store and maintain the books in his home, prompting him to relocate them to another residence in Kayseri’s Melikgazi district in central Türkiye.
Spending his free time in his library, Yaman shares his collection with researchers and academics. “I own what is possibly Türkiye’s largest private library,” he told Anadolu Agency (AA) in a recent interview.
Yaman inherited 10,000 books from his father, a dedicated reader, and was further influenced by his book-loving peers. Over the years, he attended auctions and bought rare works from secondhand booksellers, building an extensive collection, particularly on Kayseri’s history. His library contains rare and valuable editions, some of which are unavailable even in institutional collections.
“My home is overflowing with books,” Yaman said, noting that every room, including the kitchen and living areas, is packed with shelves. His collection is open only to historians, researchers and academics.
“Books are my greatest wealth,” he added. “People ask me what I will do with all these books, but I could never sell them. They are like my eyes and ears – they are my way of life. When visitors enter, they say, ‘It smells like books here.’ It’s the same scent you get in secondhand bookstores. This place is like a field of books.”
His passion has drawn international attention. “Cultural attachés from seven countries have visited my library. That is true wealth. By this measure, I am the richest person in Kayseri,” he said. “I could have chosen sports, stamp collecting or music as hobbies, but I have dedicated myself to something rare and difficult in Türkiye.”
One of his rooms is exclusively dedicated to books and documents related to Kayseri, including materials not found in institutional libraries. He meticulously cares for these historical works, recognizing their value in preserving the city’s heritage.
To protect his collection, Yaman has implemented strict security and pest control measures. “My biggest concern for the future of these works is damage from rodents and insects. Many Ottoman-era books are made from egg-based paper, which is a perfect food source for pests,” he explained. “I use both natural and electronic pest control methods. My apartment is equipped with 16 security cameras, and I spend TL 3,000 to TL 4,000 ($79.15 to $105.53) annually on pest control.”
Yaman, a familiar figure among Turkish antiquarian booksellers and auctioneers, has read thousands of books over his lifetime. “I can’t count how many books I’ve read, nor could I ever read them all. Sometimes I focus on specific sections rather than entire books,” he said. “During high school and university, I visited nearly every library in Kayseri. Booksellers and auction houses across Türkiye know that if a document or book relates to Kayseri, I will want to add it to my collection.”
Maintaining and organizing his vast library is a personal endeavor, and for Yaman, the greatest joy comes from discussing literature with visitors. “The best part of all this is the conversations I have with friends surrounded by books,” he said.