A shared home
for curiosity about Ayvalık.

A photograph, an old document, a book or a personal recollection can be the starting point of our work. The AYEV library and local archive provide sources for people researching Ayvalık. We share knowledge about heritage, population exchange and urban history. Research encounters with the Site Management Directorate are one practical example.

This experience also includes work from before formal registration. Notes on Ayvalık’s History, the Ayvalık Notes videos filmed in 2020 and testimony recorded for the visual archive form part of that background. Books prepared by team members, field notes and research encounters continue the sharing of knowledge about the city.

We listen to the city’s story through the people who lived it. The Story of the City brings teachers, shopkeepers, exchangee families and different generations to the same table. People Who Left Their Mark on Ayvalık recalls those who contributed to the city. The Population Exchange Notebook explores the local traces of a historical process. Ayvalık Notes from A to Z brings subjects about the city together through the alphabet.

AYEV encounters at Atölye Ayvada extend across history, literature, cinema, archaeology and science. We examine a novel’s construction, discuss a film’s narrative and hear from specialists on olive oil, agriculture and forest fires. Guests’ experiences and participants’ questions create a shared space for knowledge in Ayvalık.

We value young people as researchers, questioners and project creators. Work connecting local heritage with education, support for secondary school project preparation and Erasmus+ idea development are parts of this approach. Relationships with Ayvalık Municipality, the Site Management Directorate, educators, artists and researchers support this shared learning environment.