About the Project
The Svoboda Diaries Project began in 2006 as a project under the umbrella of the Ottoman Texts Archive Project (OTAP), which was started in 1993 at the University of Washington. Throughout the project’s history, we have focused on the digitization of the journals of two members of the Svoboda family, Joseph Svoboda and his son Alexander.
The Joseph Mathia Svoboda diaries capture over 40 years of trade on the Tigris, life, politics, and the landscape of Ottoman Iraq through the perspective of a British steamship purser with a rich family history and local connections. To read more about the diaries, click here.
Recent Updates
Online contest concluded | May 14, 2021
We have just completed our online contest, Joseph and Friends: A Svoboda Scavenger Hunt! To view a summary of the contest and its results, click here.
Revised timeline | April 4, 2021
Our timeline feature enables you to interactively explore and link to events in Joseph’s diary. We have revised the timeline to improve its usability. Take a look here.
Instagram launched | January 19, 2021
We have launched our Instagram account! Follow us @svobodadiaries for more information on the diaries and other project updates!