Islamic Manuscript Studies
Resources for the study of manuscripts and manuscript cultures of Islamic cultural areas
- Welcome
- Identifying and Locating Manuscripts Toggle Dropdown
- Collections and Catalogues Online Toggle Dropdown
- Manuscript Collection Research Guides
- Islamic Manuscripts in North America
- Arabic Script Palaeography
- Manuscript Description
- Bibliographical Resources
- Watermarked papers
- Reading Lists
- Associations, Institutes and Research Initiatives
- Digital Tools
Vlad Atanasiu's Resources for the Study of Manuscripts in Arabic Characters
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Kabikadj || Database software for cataloguing manuscriptsonline database & Open Source software
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AD751 || Software for measuring the densities of laid lines in papersa tool for laid lines density measurements from paper structure reproductions
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BlueNile || FFT image filtering softwareImage filtering in the frequency domain
Filigranes pour tous
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Filigranes pour tousApplication (via web or download to smartphone) to obtain identifying data for a watermark from a captured image / photo. Outcome of a broader project aiming to develop a scheme of optical recognition for watermarks which permits image based search on observed watermarks
RetroReveal
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retroRevealImage processing application, particularly helpful for revealing otherwise hidden features through transformation to other colorspaces. [unfortunately offline since May 2022]
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An overlooked 17th century illustrated Shahnamah (Ursula Sims-Williams)Blog post featuring a splendid use of the retroReveal application
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ImageSleuth | retroReveal alternative"retroReveal found use by researchers in a several fields, alas, however, retroReveal went offline in May 2022 and it seems that it is unlikely to return. However, all is not lost. A free fully functional alternative has arisen to fill the gap. Introducing ImageSleuth, the free retroReveal replacement. ImageSleuth is a free, cross-platform, alternative that replaces retroReveal yet does not require an internet connection to function. Once downloaded and installed, ImageSleuth can remain on one's computer indefinitely without relying on the continued availability of a third-party website."
ImageJ
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ImageJOpen source image processing software package
Tropy
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Tropy : Research photo managementDesktop tool for organizing and describing your research photos. Arrange in groups, annotate, tag, search and export
Archetype
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Archetype"Archetype is an integrated suite of web-based tools for the study of medieval handwriting, art and iconography. Using Archetype, scholars can annotate, describe and tag an image, or part of an image."
T-PEN
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T-PEN | transcription for paleographical and editorial notation"T‑PEN is a web-based tool for working with images of manuscripts. Users attach transcription data (new or uploaded) to the actual lines of the original manuscript in a simple, flexible interface."
Transkribus
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TranskribusTool for collaborative transcription and text recognition (HTR) via client or web browser (Transkribus Lite). Site features how to guides and publicly accessible models.
From the Page
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FromThePage | open-source software for collaborative transcription and other work with texts"FromThePage is open-source software for collaborating on texts. The tool supports projects from simple, plain-text transcription through bilingual digital editions."
VisColl
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VisColl"VisColl (Collation Visualization) is a system for modeling and visualizing the physical collation of medieval manuscript codices."
Wax : for digital exhibits
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Wax | for digital exhibitions"A minimal computing project for producing digital exhibitions focused on longevity, low costs, and flexibility. Our underlying technology is made to learn and to teach, and can produce beautifully rendered, high-quality image collections and scholarly exhibits. To start using Wax, please see our documentation for installation instructions and more."
HathiTrust Data Availability and APIs
HathiTrust bibliographic metadata, page images, and OCR generated text (where available) can be retrieved via available HathiTrust APIs
No longer available
- HathiTrust Data API "The HathiTrust Data API can be used to retrieve content (page images, OCR, and in some cases whole volume packages), as well as metadata for HathiTrust volumes."
- HTRC Data API "The HTRC Data API pulls full text OCR and METS metadata for specified volumes into the HTRC Data Capsules."
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HathiTrust Bibliographic API"This API returns bibliographic, rights, and volume information when given a single or multiple standard identifiers (ISBN, LCCN, OCLC, etc.). It is intended for use to retrive information about small numbers of items at a time. Bulk retrieval should be done using OAI or the HathiTrust tab-delimited inventory files..."
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HathiTrust OAI feed"You can use this option to retrieve metadata in MARC21 or unqualified Dublin Core formats in XML structure. The OAI feed allows you to access new and updated records and to discover if any records have been deleted... The MARC version of the feed does not provide complete MARC records."
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HathiTrust Research Center"Supports large-scale computational analysis of the works in the HathiTrust Digital Library to facilitate non-profit and educational research."
Images and descriptive metadata for the digitized manuscripts of the Islamic Manuscripts Collection at the University of Michigan can be retrieved using the HathiTrust Data API. Bibliographic records can be retrieved using the HathiTrust Bibliographic API or OAI feed.
OPenn: Technical Read Me
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OPenn: Technical Read Me"This file provides technical information about accessing digital images from the OPenn website, and about the conventions and standards used in creating the data."
Guidance on accessing images and metadata from the OPenn site, including the Manuscripts of the Muslim World collection. Use wget or rsync to bulk download files (for example all images and metadata files for a single manuscript).
Last Updated: Nov 6, 2025 10:47 AM