If one judges a political group by how it treats historical treasures, the reported conditions at the new Ottoman Archives undermine the conservative credentials of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

On the surface, the new archives complex in the Saadabad neighborhood of Istanbul’s Kagithane district appears to be a major improvement over the older building in Sultanahmet. Housing 95 million historical documents and nearly 400,000 registers at an on-site underground repository, the 12-building complex boasts a large reading room, conference halls and an outdoor garden overlooking the Kagithane brook flowing into the Golden Horn. It is a serene and peaceful-looking place where any researcher would love to work.

Yet, some researchers and former employees of the Ottoman Archives have taken issue with the new venue. The first and foremost complaint is the location of the archives. Critics question the wisdom of placing Turkey’s historical riches underground in a flood-prone area, between a steep hill and a brook.

One such person is Muzeyyen, not her real name as she fears that talking to the media could affect her ability to conduct research. Muzeyyen, who is pursuing a doctoral degree in Ottoman history at a prestigious North American university, told Al-Monitor that the humidity in the storage facilities was so bad that historical documents requested by several of her fellow researchers had been “literally wet.” It’s not just a document or two, said Muzeyyen, “entire collections are in jeopardy.” After a quick scan of local newspapers, she discovered that “Kagithane, especially Saadabad, has had several major flash floods in the past 50 years.”