Ottoman archives were guarded by deliberate obscurity as effectively as by policy

Evidence

The treasures of the Turkish archives have for a long time been well guarded: the outer approaches by a suspicious and obstructive officialdom, the second line by a difficult language and an obscure script, the inner citadel by an involved chancery style and a highly technical official vocabulary. Today the outer barrier is down. The archives are in the care of a skilled and enlightened staff, and are open to all who can read them. Only the inner barriers await the assault of those with sufficient courage and curiosity. — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 1996 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Ottoman records were stored where their creators worked; Ottoman archives were historically guarded by layered linguistic obstacles — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans: Interpreting…, 1996; Ottoman archives guarded knowledge through layered linguistic and bureaucratic barriers (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Ottoman archives were historically guarded by layered linguistic obstacles #expands (0.95) — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 1996
• Ottoman archives guarded knowledge through layered linguistic and bureaucratic barriers #expands (0.95)