Welcome to the Grand Library

Manuscript Library

Manuscript Library is a comprehensive meta-catalog bringing together historical manuscripts, periodicals, and archives in Ottoman Turkish, Arabic, and Persian.

Search 198 library websites simultaneously...

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WARNING: As the translation of our database records into Turkish, English, and Arabic is not yet complete, we recommend that you search again for the keywords you have entered with their alternative English/Turkish/Arabic spellings. For example, for "Mahmut Yesari", search with its English spellings like "Mahmoud Yasary" or "Makhmoud Yessari" etc.
Advanced Search Search with AI Special Search

2,375,454

Books

4,228,032

Documents

380,395

Periodicals

155,707

Pictures

151,999

Other
Library

Welcome to the Grand Library

The most comprehensive resource center bringing Ottoman heritage into the digital world.

The aim of the project is to provide a collective search service in all libraries containing Ottoman-era works.

The text entered in the search box is searched across all catalogs in the system, and the results are listed. This saves the user the trouble of searching separately on each library's website.

Library catalogs are pre-entered into the system, and the search is performed within these catalogs. By clicking the link in the search results, you can reach the original work's page in that library and its digital version, if available.

Both digitized (PDF, JPG, PNG, etc.) and non-digitized works are included in the system.

Records in the system are not deduplicated. A work may have records in different libraries.

The catalogs in the system include not only libraries but also archives and collections containing works and documents from the Ottoman period. The full list can be accessed via the 'Libraries' link. You can write to [email protected] for resources you wish to be added to the system.

Works in the system are divided into 4 categories: Book (printed and manuscript works), Document (all kinds of archival documents, notebooks found in archives, etc.), Periodicals (newspapers and magazines), and Image (photographs, drawings, maps, etc. visual materials).

The system allows searching across all manuscript works, especially Ottoman Turkish, Arabic, and Persian works.

Osmanlica.com respects copyrights. This non-profit system does not host digital versions or images of the works. The system only contains the catalog information of the works (title, author, publication date, place, type, etc.). The digital versions of the works are on the respective libraries' own web pages. Search results redirect to these pages.

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For your questions, comments, and contributions regarding the system, send us a message: [email protected]

Global Digital Library for Ottoman Archives and Islamic Manuscripts

kutuphane.osmanlica.com is a comprehensive manuscript search engine and global digital library designed to unify hundreds of library and archive inventories worldwide. By indexing historical resources containing Islamic and Ottoman written heritage into a single, centralized database, we eliminate the need for researchers to search through dozens of separate institutional catalogs individually.

Simultaneous Search via Union Library Catalog

Our advanced search infrastructure functions as a unified union library catalog, indexing data from nearly 200 prominent institutions globally. Users can seamlessly query the Ottoman archive (Directorate of State Archives of Türkiye), the Turkish Manuscripts Institution, and the National Library of Türkiye, alongside world-renowned repositories like the British Library, Princeton University, Vatican Library, and Bibliothèque nationale de France to access millions of digitized Islamic manuscripts and historical records instantly.

Comprehensive Content Categories for Advanced Academic Research

To facilitate precise historical exploration, the indexed resources are curated across specialized categories:

  • Books: Rare printed editions and priceless handwritten manuscripts in various languages.
  • Periodicals: Historical newspapers, academic journals, and gazettes from the Ottoman era to the modern period.
  • Documents: Official state archives, court registries, decrees, and diplomatic manuscripts.
  • Visual Material: High-resolution historical maps, engravings, photographs, sketches, and illustrations.

The Future of Digital Humanities: AI-Powered Semantic Search

Moving beyond traditional keyword matching, our vision incorporates cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence to deliver cognitive search experiences. By embedding Large Language Models (LLMs) and vector databases, researchers can perform contextual and conceptual queries. Even if your exact keywords are absent from the catalog metadata, our system will intelligently pair your conceptual inquiry with the most contextually relevant manuscript pages, elevating global historical studies to a new dimension.