According to a written statement from the ministry, the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre preserves documents and land registry books that are cultural and historical heritage. Worn-out documents and land registry books are being restored so that these documents can be transferred to future generations in a safe manner.
The Document Conservation and Restoration Unit, established within the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre Archive Department, has completed the restoration of 121,401 document sheets to date. Worn-out property books in need of restoration are restored to their original state by an expert team.
Restoration work can be done using classical methods as well as modern techniques. With a method called ‘Leaf-Casting’, missing parts of documents whose ink has not spread are completed using paper pulp. In this way, documents are restored quickly and effectively.
The leaf-casting machine, manufactured locally and nationally upon the request of the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre, accelerates the restoration process and helps preserve the documents. After the restoration is completed, the documents are bound and delivered to the relevant unit.
Restoration of the Hagia Sophia Foundation
The Hagia Sophia Foundation Charter, which is a historical document, was also restored by the Archives Department of the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre. The 65-meter-long Hagia Sophia Foundation Charter, dated 1463, was renovated as a result of meticulous work using the classical restoration method.
Nursel Demir, Restoration Expert of the Archives Department, emphasized the importance of the restoration work and said, “The books in our archives still maintain their validity as a basis for inheritance disputes or objection cases to cadastral determination.”
