Ottoman calendars hold a significant position as a valuable source for many fields including the history of science, Ottoman intellectual history, daily life, belief systems, art, medical history, natural history, environmental history, and folklore. The comparative analysis of these sources over a long period allows for various aspects to be explored, such as shedding light on the scientific understanding presented in the calendars, understanding the relationship between the information within the calendars and their users, determining the place of calendars in the writing of the history of science, and evaluating them in the context of modern historiographical methods. In this talk, as a case study titled “A Comparative Study on Theoretical and Practical Aspects of Scientific Activity in the Ottoman Empire: Annual and Perpetual Calendars (1550-1710)” (TÜBİTAK-1003 Priority Areas Support Program, Project No: 119K827), we discuss the analysis methods utilized and the challenges encountered in our project, addressing the following questions: What are the possibilities and limitations offered by content-focused and context-focused approaches in the analysis of scientific texts? How should a balance be struck between continuity and originality when narrating the history of scientific theories?

For more detailed information, see Danışan, Gaye. “An Evaluation of the Methods Applied in the Analysis of Ottoman Calendars and the Challenges Encountered.” Proceedings Book of the 2nd International Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin Symposium on the History of Islamic Science. Editors: M. Cüneyt Kaya, Gürsel Aksoy, Nihal Özdemir. Istanbul: Istanbul University Publishing House, 2023, pp.175-194.