Arabic Script Research Articles

Deep Learning for Accurate Recognition of Arabic Handwritten Words in Historical Documents.

Invaluable for historical research, Arabic manuscripts are often challenging to access due to their physical preservation needs. Digitization coupled with handwriting recognition offers a powerful solution for making these resources readily available. However, accurate text recognition hinges on effective segmentation into lines and words. While line segmentation has received significant attention, word detection in historical Arabic script remains an under-explored area due to the scarcity of annotated datasets. This paper addresses this gap by introducing a novel, word-level annotated database specifically designed for historical Arabic manuscripts. We further present two neural network architectures based on Transformers relying on an Arabic language model and a robust CNN-BLSTM with skip connections, guaranteeing the preservation of crucial spatial information for recognition. Validation on a dataset of 20 pages of historical manuscripts demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed models, achieving a Character Error Rate (CER) of 4.8% with data augmentation, surpassing the state-of-the-art.

A hybrid model for Arabic Script Recognition based on CNN-CBAM and BLSTM

Handwriting recognition, particularly for Arabic, is a very challenging field of research due to various complex factors such as the presence of ligatures, cursive writing style, slant variations, diacritics, overlapping, and other difficult problems. This paper specifically addresses the task of recognizing offline Arabic handwritten text lines. The main contributions include the pre-processing stage and the utilization of a deep learning-based approach with data augmentation techniques. The pre-processing step involves correcting the skew of text-lines and removing any unnecessary white space in images. The deep learning architecture consists of a Convolutional Neural Network and Convolutional Block Attention Module for feature extraction, along with Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory for sequence modelling and Connectionist Temporal Classification as a decoder. Data augmentation techniques are utilized on the images in the database to enhance the system’s ability to recognize a wide range of Arabic characters and to extend the level of abstraction in patterns due to synthetic variations. Our suggested approach has the capability of precisely recognizing Arabic handwritten texts without the necessity of character segmentation, thereby resolving various issues associated with this aspect. The results obtained from the KHATT database highlight the effectiveness of our approach, demonstrating a Word Error Rate of 14.55% and a Character Error Rate of 3.25%.

Orthographic and Morphological Variation of Loanwords in the Arabic Vernaculars

The present article discusses the key orthographic and morphological modifications that Anglicisms and Gallicisms undergo beyond their adaptation in various Arabic vernaculars. At the level of orthography, the spelling of words with a two-consonant beginning, compound nouns and abbreviations is analyzed. The range of analyzed morphological categories includes gender and number for nouns, voice and mood for verbs. The need for a study is due to insufficient information about the above aspects of the adaptation of borrowings in Arabic dialects. For a detailed comparative analysis of various approaches to spelling and morphological adaptation, the author uses a questionnaire targeted for the dialect speakers. Based on the answers of 206 respondents from 18 Arab countries, it is concluded that the loanwords introduced via Arabic script preserve the source-language orthography. Borrowed abbreviations in participants’ answers mostly become acronyms. As for the gender of nouns, the participants tend to determine this morphological category relying on semantic analogy and phonetic similarity of endings. In matters of plural formation, suffixation remains the most popular way. However, in the case of inanimate nouns, up to a third of participants’ responses contain broken plurals. An analysis of borrowed verbs showed differences in the approaches of Arabic speakers from the Arab West and East in the adaptation of English and French lemmas and their subsequent conjugation. This circumstance allows us to conclude that the variability in adaptation is related to extralinguistic factors inherent in certain Arabic-speaking communities.

Mobility, Change, and A Shared History

It was only in 1727 that the first Turkish‑Muslim printing house was established by Ibrahim Müteferrika with the support of Sultan Ahmed III. It came into existence in Istanbul at the beginning of the eighteenth century during a peaceful interlude known as the Tulip Era – a brief period characterized by increasing consumerism, religious tolerance, interest in philosophy and openness to the West. Many reasons have been put forward for this late adoption: Sultanic firmans, opposition from scribes, lack of a market for printed texts, and the difficulty in printing Arabic script. What forms of mobility in print material and technology existed before 1727 in the Ottoman Empire, and how did they interact with the creation of a Turkish‑Muslim printing press during the Tulip Era? It was Rabbi Jacob ben Asher’s incunable of 1493 – "Four Rows" – that marked the inauguration of printing of any type in the Ottoman Empire. This text will be briefly analyzed, along with the ensuing centuries‑long Hebrew and Ladino print traditions, and finally their continuation through the Tulip Era. This article will frame the historical development of Jewish print culture in Istanbul and the Ottoman Empire from the fifteenth century to the eighteenth century while situating it within the international marketplace. The exchanges between the intercontinental Jewish print culture, the first Turkish‑Muslim printing house, and European intellectuals emphasize interconnectedness as well as the reimagination of the Tulip Era not as the initial thrust of Ottoman "modernization" but rather the amalgamation of previous technological and socioeconomic forces. Using Ottoman Jewish printing as a comprehensive example, "modernization" in the Ottoman Empire is shown to have occurred over many centuries, with its achievement the result of a blending of different coexisting cultures and trends.

Classification and Localization of Arabic Handwritten Text in KHATT Dataset Based on Faster R-CNN

Arabic handwriting recognition is an important research area in computer vision. Due to the complexity of the Arabic script, this is an arduous task. Several approaches have been proposed to address this challenge, including deep learning algorithms. Despite their efficiency, these approaches present some limitations such as the use of lexicon-driven models, the need of a lot of data for training and the huge computational cost. We propose, in this paper, two novel models based on the robust Faster Region-Convolution Neural Network (Faster R-CNN) to recognize Arabic handwritten sentences. The Faster R-CNN is commonly used to detect objects in images and depends on region proposal algorithms. These models use the pre-trained VGG 16 and ResNet50. Moreover, they use a soft non-maximum suppression strategy (Soft-NMS) in the post-processing stage instead of the traditional NMS to increase the detection rate of overlapping items. The models will be trained independently to identify words in the text lines and tested using sentences from the (KFUPM Handwritten Arabic TexT) KHATT dataset. It will be shown that the faster R-CNN models allow greater accuracy and effectiveness in handwriting recognition. They achieve accuracy rates of 99% and 98% for the two networks, VGG16 and ResNet50, respectively

Islamic Religious-based Local Content Curriculum in Madrasah Tsanawiyah: A Multi-Site Study in Pekan Tanjung Pura

This study aims to analyse the similarities and differences in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the religious-based local content curriculum in three different MTs, namely MTs Jam'iyah Mahmudiyah Tanjung Pura, MTs Yaspend Muslim Pematang Tengah, and MTs Pondok Pesantren Islam Shuffah Hizbullah Al-Fatah. The methods used are cross-site analysis, purposive sampling, internal sampling, time sampling, and data collection techniques using interviews, observation, and documentation. The results showed similarities in objectives, principles, scope, steps, materials, and evaluation of the local content curriculum, which aims to preserve Islamic values and improve students' understanding and religious practices. Differences are seen in the types of local content used, namely Malay Arabic script, Qur'an memorisation, and Qur'an memorisation, emphasising pesantren. This difference reflects the needs and local context of each madrasah. This study provides an overview of the practice of religion-based local content curricula in MTs and its implications for forming students' character and religious identity. It also suggests further research on the long-term impact of differences in implementing the local content curriculum on students' character-building and religious identity.

Arabic Character Recognition Using CNN LeNet-5

The human handwriting pattern is one of the research areas of pattern recognition; it is very complex. Therefore, research in this field has become quite popular. Moreover, human handwriting pattern recognition is needed for several things, one of them being character recognition. Recognition of Arabic handwriting is complex because everyone has different characteristics in writing and Arabic characters have quite abstract shapes and patterns. From previous research, Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), a deep learning-based algorithm, has a fairly high accuracy value when used for public datasets such as AHDB and private datasets. In this study, private datasets are used with a fairly high level of complexity because the respondents appointed to write Arabic letters come from different age categories. The CNN architecture used in this research is the architecture developed by Yan LeCun known as LeNet-5. The local dataset used was 8400 images, with details of 6720 for training data (each letter has 240 images) and 1680 for testing data (each letter has 60 images). The total respondents who wrote Arabic script were 30 people, and each person wrote each letter ten times. The accuracy obtained is 81% higher than in previous studies. The following study will test a number of additional CNN architectures to increase the accuracy of the results. In addition to accuracy, this study will also calculate the misclassification rate, root mean square error, and mean absolute error.

HOW AND WHY WAS SLAVIC LEARNED AT THE OTTOMAN COURT? INSIGHTS FROM THE FIFTEENTH-CENTURY PROJECTS DEDICATED TO LEARNING LANGUAGES OF THE WORLD

This paper addresses the question of the status of Slavic/Serbian language in the Ottoman Empire during the late 15th century by focusing on three multilingual language learning handbooks, which were produced at or around the Ottoman court and contain fragments in Serbian written in the Arabic script. Two of these handbooks (MSs Süleymaniye Ayasofya 4749 and Ayasofya 4750) have attracted scholarly attention since 1936. Using the historical language ideology as a hermeneutical tool, this paper first revisits the scholarly interpretations of these two manuscripts and then introduces a third, so far unnoticed codex (MS SB Berlin Or.oct.33). The analysis of the form and contents of this manuscript provides new insights into the original context in which all three manuscripts were produced, along with a series of similar handbooks which do not contain Slavic material.

Mandailing Ulama in Modern Malaysia: The Intellectual Network and Works of Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qādir al-Mandīlī

Abstract: This article examines the intellectual network and manuscript legacy of Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qādir al-Mandīlī, a scholar from South Tapanuli, Indonesia, who dedicated his knowledge abroad in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. The study employs a literature review approach with a historical perspective. Primary sources for this research consist of all works authored by the scholar, written entirely in Malay with Arabic script. The study demonstrates his dissemination of reformist ideas through religious education in both Malaysia and the Haramain, alongside the composition of numerous yellow books (kitab kuning). He fostered relationships with various scholars and attracted numerous students in both the Haramain and Malaysia. All his scholars are prominent figures in the Shāfi‘ī and Ash‘ari schools. Additionally, he propagated neo-Sufism by harmonizing between Shariah and Sufism. This study further corroborates Azyumardi Azra's theory on the network of scholars. Keywords: ulama, Mandailing, Malaysia, intellectual networks, Islamic manuscripts

Malay Ulama in Deli Land: The Life, Manuscripts, and Intellectual Networks of Shaykh Hasan Ma‘sum (d. 1936)

Abstract: This article examines the life, manuscript legacy, and intellectual network of Shaykh Hasan Ma‘sum, one of the most influential Malay scholars in the early 20th century in East Sumatra. He was one of the finest disciples of Syekh Ahmad Khatib al-Minangkabawi at Masjidil Haram and the esteemed mentor of the founders and scholars of Al Washliyah, Al Ittihadiyah, and Nahdlatul Ulama in East Sumatra. This study adopts a biographical research approach within a historical framework. The primary sources for this research are the works of Shaykh Hasan Ma‘sum, which are subsequently analyzed using content analysis methodology. The findings of the study reinforce Azra’s thesis regarding the pattern of intellectual relations among Nusantara scholars, where Shaykh Hasan Ma‘sum studied under several prominent scholars in Haramain, and later had numerous disciples in East Sumatra. Shaykh Hasan Ma‘sum also enriched the traditional Islamic literature by writing and publishing numerous manuscripts. All of his works, which were penned in Malay with Arabic script, and some in Arabic, encompass various fields including creed, jurisprudence, mysticism, and astronomy. Keywords: Malay, ulama, East Sumatra, manuscripts, intellectual networks

Ulama and Knowledge in Modern Aceh: Abu Teupin Raya on Religious Sciences

Abstract: This article examines the intellectual tradition of Abu Teupin Raya in Aceh. The researcher utilizes the theories of Martin van Bruinessen, Zamaksyari Dhofier, and Azyumardi Azra on pesantren and the tradition of yellow books (kitab kuning), as well as the theory of Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas on the classification of knowledge. This study is a literature review with a historical approach. Primary data, including the writings of Abu Teupin Raya and various biographical notes, are analysed using content analysis methods. The study argues that Abu Teupin Raya is an Acehnese scholar who successfully transmitted traditional Islam as found in yellow books written by several scholars of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamā‘ah and Shāfi‘i schools. Additionally, he expanded the treasury of traditional Islam by composing his own books, some of which were written in Malay using Arabic script. Abu Teupin Raya is a traditionalist scholar who preserved elements of traditional Islam and actively safeguarded religious knowledge through teaching and writing yellow books during the Aceh conflict. This study contributes to the study of Islam in Aceh. Keywords: ulama, Aceh, religious sciences, dayah, intellectual networks

«Мы дадим прочесть тебе, и ты не забудешь!» (Коран, 87: 6). Рассказ о казанском хане и ловком везире

Purpose of the study: To analyze the text and present a translation of the latifeh anecdote about the clever vizier of the Kazan Khan. Research materials: The archive of Rizaetdin Fakhretdin. Results and scientific novelty of the study: the study is based on the publication and translation of the text, an anecdote – latifeh – about the clever vizier of the Kazan Khan who escaped death with the help of a cunning reading of an unvoiced Persian text in Arabic. The latifeh has been preserved in the archive and with a high degree of probability belongs to the pen of a very prolific poet and highly educated representative of the Muslim clergy of the Volga-Ural region, ‘Ali Chokry ((1827/28–1889). The list presented for research is currently stored in the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy Sciences in St. Petersburg. It is in its composition that the published anecdote is stored. This anecdote about “Sonkor-bik Kalanis” is also of Persian origin, since it arose in a Turkic environment where Farsi was well known. Perhaps it refers to the era of the Kazan Khanate, but we have no information about the existence in that state of the position of vizier under the khan. However, as an example of playing on words of an anecdotal nature, this story could well have appeared in the Volga region in the early Middle Ages. After all, it is based on the difference in reading the Arabic language and Turkic speech recorded in Arabic script. The Turks and Arabs faced this problem as soon as Islam penetrated the Turkic environment and their acquaintance with the Koran began. Thus, the “Latifeh about the Kazan Khan and his Vizier” is not just an interesting and funny anecdote, but an instructive philological puzzle that came to the mind of a sophisticated connoisseur of the three major languages of Islam – Arabic, Farsi, and Turkic.

Maksimalisasi Mahāratul Kitābah Melalui Pengaruh Kaligrafi

Arabic is a language that has its own characteristics from other languages, both in terms of pronunciation and writing. For some people who have high artistic value towards something, Arabic can be a truly extraordinary work of art, therefore one of the methods used to improve or maximize the Maharatul Kitabah is through the influence of calligraphy. The research method used is a qualitative method and literature review sourced from books, articles, journals. The aim of this research is the importance of maximizing calligraphy in improving maharatul kitabah (writing ability) in Arabic. The results of this research are to improve the ability to write (maharatul kitabah) in Arabic script, as well as to beautify the way of writing Arabic letters by studying calligraphy. As is known, calligraphy is the art of beautiful writing. By studying calligraphy, you can easily improve your Arabic writing to be better and in accordance with the rules of Arabic writing. The types of calligraphy writing that the research includes are types of calligraphy that are very frequently used and do not depart from the rules of actual Arabic writing. If the art of calligraphy writing does not comply with the rules of original Arabic writing then the purity of the writing will be damaged.

ON THE ISSUE OF TRANSCRIPTION IN HISTORICAL TURKIC TEXT STUDIES IN CENTRAL ASIA

After the acceptance of Islam by Turkic people, the Arabic script was introduced and became prevalent in the region of Turkestan. From the time of the Karakhanid dynasty, the first Turkic-Islamic state, numerous works were composed and transcribed using the Arabic script. These works now serve as valuable historical texts for scholars and researchers. Arabic script remained in use in Kazakhstan until the 1920s. Despite sporadic research efforts to uncover and analyze Turkic texts transcribed in the Arabic script, these works received limited attention during the Soviet era. However, since Kazakhstan gained independence, there has been a surge in studies aimed at exploring these historical texts. In such studies, the transcription of the texts is typically conducted using Cyrillic or Latin script, and in some cases, both are employed. Following the initiation of Kazakhstan's transition to the Latin alphabet in 2017, there has been renewed interest in transcribing Turkic texts written in the Arabic script. This study aims to re-evaluate the transcription alphabet employed in previous research on historical texts in Kazakhstan and propose a new transcription system that is suitable for the new Latin script. The proposed alphabet will be applied to the Chagatai manuscripts of Divān-i Hikmet, Qıṣṣa-i Sulṭān Ḥubbı̇̄, Destūr'ül-‘ilāj and Durruʾl-ʿacāyib, located in Kazakhstan. The last two works, which have significant historical and linguistic value, have not yet been extensively studied by scholars. Destūr'ül-‘ilāj is a medical book on Central Asian herbalism and medicine, written in Chagatai, a language with Classical Period features. Durruʾl-ʿacāyib is a collection of 66 chapters that narrates hadiths and belongs to Chagatai's Post-Classical Period.

Analisis Kurikulum Pendidikan Islam Implementasi Kurikulum Muatan Lokal Aksara Arab Melayu MIS Terpadu Muhammad Fahri

This research aims to explain and describe the Islamic education curriculum implementing local content curriculum in the learning of Malay Arabic Script at Muhammad Fahri Integrated MIS. This research uses a qualitative descriptive approach, data was obtained through observation, interviews and documentation carried out at Mahammad Fahri Integrated MIS. The results of the research show that the Islamic education curriculum implementing local content curriculum in Malay Arabic script subjects is taught from grade one to grade six, this learning is carried out in schools and continued at MDTA. The learning resources used are books owned by the teacher. Learning methods include introducing hijaiyah letters, writing letters, recognizing and writing words, as well as various Malay Arabic script exercises. The challenge experienced by the teacher in this lesson was the students' difficulty in writing letters and translating from Indonesian or Latin to Malay Arabic script. Efforts made by teachers to overcome these obstacles include repeating material, providing examples, and providing various exercises to hone students' skills.

Implementasi Kurikulum Muatan Lokal Dalam Proses Pembelajaran Aksara Arab Melayu Pada Kelas IV di MIS YPI Batang Kuis Sumatera Utara

This research aims to analyze curriculum implementation in the Malay Arabic script learning process in class V at MIS YPI Batang Kuis using descriptive qualitative methods. The research method in this study was carried out using data collection techniques, namely interviews, documentation and observation. The objects of this research were 30 students in class IV MIS YPI Batang Kuis. The data collection technique in this research is equipped with tests and questionnaires which take place face to face with students. Data analysis methods include assessing writing test scores, calculating the percentage of reading ability, as well as evaluating overall results to understand the effectiveness of teaching Malay Arabic script. It is hoped that the findings from this research will provide a more comprehensive view regarding the implementation of the Malay Arabic script learning curriculum in the form of teaching strategies that best support Malay Arabic learning in class V MIS YPI Batang Kuis. The results of this research can be a reflection to improve existing teaching methods. By understanding the successes and challenges in the learning process, more effective strategies can be developed to improve students' understanding of the Malay Arabic script. It is hoped that the implications of this research can help prepare better curriculum and teaching guidelines and improve the quality of the Malay Arabic script learning process at a broader level.

Национальный язык как объект и предмет в современной латинографичной и арабографичной поэзии на суахили в Восточной Африке

The article presents a survey of Kiarabu, a tradition of writing in Swahili using the Arabic script, as an integral component of the so-called East African Swahili civilization which since the Medieval Times had been constituted as a network of coastal and island sultanates extending from the South of Somali to the North of Mozambique along the coast of the Indian Ocean. In the colonial times this kind of indigenous literacy gradually came out of use being replaced with the Roman script-based literacy within the project of standardization and making the standard form of Kiswahili an official language in British East Africa. However, Kiarabu still remains an occasional practice and a means to manifest Swahili cultural identity in some areas, where poets-traditionalists write verses in it involving newly designed dialect-based modifications of the alphabet.

Style and Shape of Bolgar-Tatar Sepulchral Monuments: unity and uniqueness

The installing of sepulchral monuments is not an obligatory element of funeral culture in Islam. However, this phenomenon is widespread among the Tatar people. The tradition, which appeared in ancient times, still exists today. This article discusses the types of sepulchral structures and monuments. A large part of the paper is dedicated to the Bolgar-Tatar gravestones of the 13th– first third of the 20th century in Arabic script. Based on the analysis of the shape, ornament, and stylistic features of writing, a group of epitaphs is distinguished, united by certain parameters and a common area for the 13th–14th, 15th–16th, 17th–18th centuries. For the monuments of the 19th –20th centuries, the gravestone features are associated with the masters of stone carving. Further study of these monuments, including sepulchral structures – mausoleums, on the one hand, and the structure of the text, the language of epitaphs, on the other, will make it possible to identify the peculiarities of the funeral rite external side of certain regions, where Tatar people live.

Sikujua’s Writing of Muyaka’s Poetry in Arabic Script

Abstract Muyaka’s poetry as it is known today was first recorded in the 1890s, mainly written down by Mwalimu Sikujua who used Arabic script as well as an adapted Swahili-Arabic writing system to document the language. Sikujua’s versatility when using the Arabic script as well as his use of variant spellings suggest a writing practice that embraces rather than avoids orthographic variation. His use of diacritics including the shadda and hamza is particularly noteworthy. Muyaka’s poems with their frequent repetitions as well as the writing of the poet’s name feature multiple spellings by Sikujua even when applying the adapted Swahili-Arabic script. Sikujua invented solutions that best approach a Swahili pronunciation but he also displays a detailed understanding and creative use of a wide range of Arabic signs and diacritics. The complexities of writing Swahili with Arabic script benefit from Sikujua’s creativity. It is this versatility and creativity that has been largely ignored and misinterpreted as merely inconsistent in studies where standardization is considered preferable.

The study of tajwid in islamic educational institutions in the area of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the period from 1878 to 1945

The fundamental and most important source of Islamic learning is the Qur'an. As part of the study of the Qur'an, the study of tajwid is unavoidable as a special Islamic discipline that deals with the correct interpretation of the text of the Qur'an as the God’s final revelation. The aim of the paper is to present the study of tajwid in Islamic educational institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the period from 1878 to 1945. The common feature of all the tajwids created in the aforementioned period is that they were written in Arebica, i.e., the Arabic script, in the Bosnian language. Proper teaching of the Qur'an was represented in all elementary schools of that time, such as in sibjan-mektebs and mektebi-ibtidaijjas. Qirāʼah or tajwid appears as a teaching subject in the lower (Rushdie) and higher grade levels in madrasahs. The primary goal of school teaching was for children to learn to read the Qur'an correctly, to learn the basic foundations of the faith of Islam, the foundations of fiqh, Sharia regulations and ethics. In madrasahs in Bosnia and Herzegovina and elsewhere throughout the Islamic world, classes were conducted in a traditional manner, and the program was adapted to the needs of that time. In some madrasahs, the program was focused on studying the interpretation of the Qur'an, in others, greatest attention was paid to the hadith, and in some madrasahs, sharia law dominated. In this paper, the work of sibjan-mektebs, mektebi-itidaijjas, rushdies and madrasahs is analyzed and reviewed with the emphasis on the presence of school subjects related to Qirāʼah or tajwid. We tried to provide an adequate and as complete as possible overview of the study of tajwid in the abovementioned Islamic educational institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Keywords: Qur'an, tajwid, mekteb, rushdie, madrasah, upbringing, education.