Studies on the Middle Iranian Manuscript Fragments in Sogdian Script in the Berlin Turfan Collection

2023–2025

RFK04

Reconstruction of a folio with a Manichaean Sogdian text about the tribulations of human existence, a Sogdian translation of a passage of Burzōy’s preface to the Middle Persian source of the later Kalīlah wa Dimnah, consisting of three fragments (So 18700 + M 501e + III 6261) preserved in the Berlin Turfan collections of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences (BBAW) and the Museum für Asiatische Kunst, Berlin (AKu, SMB-PK) with a drawing on the outer margin and traces of other decoration, possibly a heading.

This project includes several research questions, which result from the work of cataloguing the Middle Iranian fragments in Sogdian script in the Berlin Turfan collection. There are two main questions. The first is how to reconstruct some of the former books virtually on the basis of the formal aspects like script and design. The fragments are preserved individually under glass. It has already been possible to reconstruct a few parts of former books. This research aims to find coherences in form of common patterns. It focuses on the Manichaean and Buddhist text fragments.

The second question is how to reconstruct the development of the Sogdian script represented on the text fragments from Turfan that date from the 8th to the 11th century. The task is to look for significant features distinguishing variants and to find useful traits for a palaeographic order.

People

Project lead: Christiane Reck

Research output

Publications and Activities