Want to learn something new about a unique historical resource? Are you interested in digital humanities? Would you like the chance to win a $25 gift card? If you answered yes to any of the previous questions, you’re in luck!

The Svoboda Diaries Project is excited to announce Joseph and Friends: A Svoboda Scavenger Hunt, a four week virtual contest introducing the diaries of Joseph Svoboda, who traveled up and down the Tigris River in his work as a steamship purser for a British company. The diaries provide a glimpse into daily life in the Ottoman Empire from the mid- to late 1800s, as well as connect to important political and economic events of the time.

Each week, we will release a new post related to a different theme from the diaries. You can access this from our website, www.svobodadiariesproject.org. Read about the theme, complete the relevant tasks, and answer the questions. This will give you a chance to explore the diaries as well as win a gift card. The more you participate, the greater your chances! We will create crowdsourced visualizations of the responses to the weekly questions, so submit your answers early to be included!

You can join the contest anytime, and even participate in past weeks’ questions, so long as the final deadline of May 14, 2021 has not yet passed. If you have any questions, email us at ndthtech@uw.edu, or contact us on our project social media.

The Svoboda Diaries Project is a preservation project in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization that engages 20 undergraduate students each year from majors all over campus.