- Project Overview
- Title : eScriptorium HTR Processing and Performance Analysis on Arabic Argumentation Manuscripts (Munāẓara)
- University: Université de Franché Comte
- Year: 2024
This repository is supporting open-access digital project for my master's degree thesis in Digital Humanities. The master thesis is devoted to exploring and preserving intellectual culture of the early modern Ottoman Empire through the lens of HTR engines (eScriptorium).
The purpose of this project is a collection of previously unpublished Arabic debate manuscripts (munāẓara) that reflect the philosophical and logical knowledge of the early modern Ottoman and Islamic world in general.
- Project Goals
My mission is to make this forgotten intellectual tradition discoverable and accessible by:
Collecting and centralizing debate manuscripts in a dedicated, open-access database.
Making these valuable historical sources Available, Re-usable, and Re-discoverable according to FAIR Principles.
Advancing application of Digital Humanities methodologies within the field of historical and intellectual studies.
- Website Features
The project is completed by using React components and is structured into four major parts:
Database page: A centralized metadata sources for the munāẓara manuscripts.
Open-Access TEI-XML: Direct access to the HTR-processed manuscript transcriptions in a standardized TEI-XML format for reusability, which is built eScriptorium's interfaces.
Philosophical Lexicon: A specialized Arabic-English lexicon covering key philosophical and logical terms found in the debates. (Reference source is mentioned)
eScriptorium HTR Tutorial: A dedicated page providing practical methods, training model structures, and performance analysis insights for utilizing the eScriptorium HTR engine on complex Arabic scripts. ( Reference source is mentioned)
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Abstract of the Master's Thesis
This thesis explores the intellectual culture of the early modern Ottoman Empire through Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR) technology, focusing on Arabic argumentation manuscripts (munāẓara). Utilizing the eScriptorium platform, the study interrogates HTR performance and offers practical methods and training model structures to enhance transcription outcomes for complex Arabic texts. By addressing challenges like ligatures and diacritics, this research contributes to the preservation and accessibility of Ottoman intellectual history, helping to uncover more about early modern intellectual culture. The work also advances the application of digital humanities in historical manuscript studies.
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Getting Started
To explore the website locally, please follow these steps:
git clone
Install Dependencies: Make sure you have npm installed. Navigate to the project directory and install the necessary React packages: Bash
npm install
Start the Local Server: Run the application on your local machine:
npm start
The website should open in your browser, usually at http://localhost:3000
- Citing this GitHub Repository
If you are citing codes or digital resources from this repository, please cite the project as follows:
Acar, Serhat. (2024). eScriptorium HTR Processing and Performance Analysis on Arabic Argumentation Manuscripts. GitHub repository. Available at: https://github.com/Sserhatt/arabic_manuscripts
© Copyright and License
All rights are preserved.
@2025 Serhat Acar