Dataset of Ottoman Miniatures with Metadata and Expert Tags

This dataset contains a curated collection of 435 Ottoman miniature images and their associated metadata, compiled for the study Opening Ottoman Miniature Collections through Computational Access: Methodological Lessons for Digital Humanities. The dataset was originally developed as part of a master’s thesis at Hacettepe University (Beton, E. C. Ç. (2025). Osmanlı dönemi minyatür koleksiyonlarına bilişimsel erişim [Computational access to Ottoman miniature collections] [Master’s thesis, Hacettepe University]. https://openaccess.hacettepe.edu.tr/xmlui/handle/11655/37214)The dataset includes: CSV file containing bibliographic and content metadata for each miniature, along with expert-assigned thematic tags. Metadata fields include identifier, manuscript title, holding repository, main theme, and additional contextual information (such as figures, objects, and place names).JPEG images of the miniatures, standardised for computational analysis and suitable for reuse in digital humanities, art history, and cultural heritage research.The metadata schema was informed by Dublin Core, VRA Core, and CDWA, adapted to the specific characteristics of Ottoman miniature collections. The thematic classification system consists of eight main categories (literary, historical, religious, scientific, daily life, art and craft, portrait, and figures), each with multiple subcategories.The dataset can be used for:Computational analysis of visual heritage collections (classification, clustering, image retrieval).Thematic and iconographic studies of Ottoman miniature art.Comparative studies across manuscript traditions.Teaching and training in digital humanities, cultural heritage informatics, and machine learning on visual data.File formats:Metadata: CSV (UTF-8 encoded)Images: JPEGLicense: CC BY 4.0Creators: Esra Cansu Çan Beton (Hacettepe University), Zehra Taşkın (Hacettepe University, Adam Mickiewicz University)