Amasya05 is an archive built to make the history, literature and culture of Amasya readable. On this page we briefly describe the technologies the site runs on, the features that help you while reading and how the site works with search engines.

Software Infrastructure

The site is written in PHP on the Laravel framework. Content is stored in a MariaDB database and pages are served by the Caddy web server. Articles, categories, images and menus are managed through the Filament administration panel.

For the meaning-aware search (semantic search) feature, our work to rewrite our database infrastructure on PostgreSQL and our software infrastructure with .NET Core MVC is ongoing. Until that work is complete the site stays online on its current infrastructure; addresses and content do not change.

Reading Experience

  • Notebook view and night mode: Articles are presented in a lined-notebook layout, with a dark theme for night reading.
  • Text size: You can enlarge or reduce the text size on every article.
  • Resume where you left off: On long articles your reading position is remembered in your browser.
  • Two languages: The site is published in Turkish and English; old addresses redirect in a single step to the right page.

Ottoman Word Hints

In the original texts of encyclopedia entries and poem pages, and in other articles, old words are underlined. Hover over a word, focus it with the keyboard or tap it on mobile and its modern meaning opens in a small box. On Turkish pages the meaning is given in Turkish, on English pages in English. The glossary is compiled from the site's own work and every entry is checked by an editor; words whose meaning is not found in our sources are not marked.

Search

Search finds words with and without circumflex accents together (typing kadi also finds kâdî) and takes common spelling variants into account. Turkish and English articles are indexed separately.

Maps and Images

Place articles whose coordinates have been verified against two independent sources carry a link that opens the location on OpenStreetMap. Images are served in WebP format at sizes suited to the screen so that they load quickly, and the source and licence of each image are shown beside it.

Working with Search Engines

Every page has a single, permanent address and declares it as its canonical address. The sitemap is divided into sections and new publications are announced to search engines. Pages also carry article, place, person and breadcrumb information as structured data (JSON-LD), so that search results can show the correct title, image and location.

QR Code Label

At the foot of every page on the site is the QR code of that page. The "Print A5" button prints the code as a single-colour A5 label carrying the Amasya05 masthead, the page title and a Turkish-English guidance text. A person who scans the label goes straight to the relevant article. These labels are offered so that, if wished, they can be used at the relevant places (beside a monument, a mosque, a castle or a museum).

Sources and Attribution

The sources of articles and the licences of images are stated openly on the pages. For details see the Editorial Policy page.