TİKA Honors Atatürk’s Doctor Rıfkı Kamil Urga with Library in Afghanistan

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) named the library it established in Bamyan province, Afghanistan, after Dr. Rıfkı Kamil Urga, a private physician who was sent to Afghanistan by Atatürk to contribute to the health sector.

The “Dr. Rıfkı Kamil Urga Library,” whose construction was initiated by TİKA about four months ago on the Bamyan University campus, covers an area of 220 square meters. It is fully equipped with essential materials such as tables, desks, bookshelves, screens, projectors and computers, providing an environment where 100 university students can simultaneously conduct scientific studies and research.

University opens its first library

The library, named after Dr. Rıfkı Kamil Urga and with a capacity for 5,000 books, was inaugurated at a ceremony held on the university campus for the benefit of academics and students.

The opening ceremony of the library was attended by Afghanistan’s Minister of Higher Education, Sheikh Neda Mohammad Nadeem; Deputy Minister of Economy, Dr. Abdul Latif Nazari; TİKA’s Coordinator in Kabul, Fazıl Akın Erdoğan; Director of the Yunus Emre Institute, Gündüz Pulat; Governor of Bamyan, Mullah Abdullah Sarhadi; Rector of Bamyan University, Mufti Hazrat Mohammad Burhani, and various media representatives.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister of Higher Education Nadeem expressed his gratitude to Türkiye and TİKA for their support.

Atatürk’s doctor Urga’s legacy preserved

TİKA’s Kabul Office Coordinator Fazıl Akın Erdoğan stated that TİKA will continue its support for the Afghan people. Erdoğan expressed his hope that the library will be beneficial for the university students, who represent the future of Afghanistan. He remarked, “I hope that the library will contribute to your academic growth.”

Erdoğan noted that the university previously lacked a library, leaving thousands of students without this essential resource. He highlighted that the library was completed in just 3-4 months and is now available for use.

Erdoğan noted that Bamyan, a city known for its tourism, places a high value on reading and writing, with many young people aspiring to attend university. He said, “We established our library at Bamyan University to reflect the city’s appreciation for learning. We named the library after Dr. Rıfkı Kamil Urga and were pleased to open it alongside Afghanistan’s Minister of Higher Education.”

Erdoğan explained that Urga spent 17 years of his life in Afghanistan saying, “Even before TİKA was established or perhaps even before the idea was conceived, he worked here as a voluntary collaborator, helping to establish Afghanistan’s first medical faculty. We decided to honor his legacy by naming this library, which we built at the university after him.”

“An important opportunity provided for Bamyan University students”

Asıf Ekberi, a fourth-year student in the Department of Tourism, mentioned that for the past four years, they had faced difficulties with book availability and study conditions due to the lack of a library on campus.

Stating his satisfaction with the establishment of the library, Ekberi said, “This library provides an important opportunity for Bamyan University students. They now have a place to study and access to numerous resources.”

Dr. Rıfkı Kamil Urga

Born in Çankırı in 1880, Dr. Rıfkı Kamil Urga served as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s personal physician. At the request of King Amanullah Khan of Afghanistan, who was visiting Türkiye, and on Atatürk’s appointment, Urga spent 17 years in Afghanistan.

During his time there, Urga made substantial contributions to the field of health and played a key role in establishing the Kabul Medical Faculty, Afghanistan’s first medical school.