@pirbalyazdansher: The Story of the Remarkable Discovery • Time and Place: These manuscripts were discovered in 1905 in a cave located on Mount Shahu, near the historic village of Palangan in the Hawraman region (Iranian Kurdistan). • Preservation: They were found by chance by a follower of the Naqshbandi Sufi order, tucked inside a sealed earthenware jar—a factor that protected them from decay and moisture for centuries. • Journey to London: In the early 20th century, the renowned Kurdish physician and researcher Dr. Sa’id Khan Kurdistani visited the region to provide medical treatment to a local dignitary. He acquired these documents and, in 1913, transported them to London. They were subsequently handed over to the British Museum for study, where they remain on display and are preserved to this day. 2. Physical and Linguistic Characteristics of the Documents The archaeological collection consists of three primary documents inscribed on animal hides (specifically, carefully tanned deerskins): • The first and second documents: Written in Ancient Greek (using the script common during the Hellenistic and Parthian periods), they date back to 88 BCE and 22 BCE, respectively. • The third document: Written in Parthian Pahlavi (a form of Middle Persian specific to the Parthian era), it dates back to the first century CE. 3. Content and Historical Substance of the Documents The manuscripts are neither religious texts nor military epics; rather, they are civil legal contracts—specifically, agreements for the sale and purchase of land and agricultural holdings. Their content provides an accurate reflection of settled human life in Hawraman: • Vineyard Sale Contracts: The documents consist of contracts for the sale and purchase of vineyards (grape orchards) and groves located in mountainous areas, identified by local geographical names that remain remarkably similar to those used in Hawraman today. • Names of Witnesses and Parties to Transactions: The manuscripts contain lists of sellers, buyers, and witnesses. They reveal a unique fusion of names—combining those of ancient Iranian origin (from which the Kurds descend) with Greek names introduced during the era of Alexander the Great and his Seleucid successors. 4. Historical Significance of the Hawraman Region These manuscripts are not isolated records; they are part of a broader, enduring legacy that led UNESCO to designate the entire "Cultural Landscape of Hawraman" as a World Heritage Site: • Antiquity of Human Settlement: Subsequent archaeological studies have uncovered human-made tools in the caves of Hawraman dating back tens of thousands of years. • Language and Literature: For centuries, Hawraman served as a distinct cultural hub. The Hawrami (Gorani) dialect of the Kurdish language became the formal medium for literature and poetry within the historical Ardalan Principality and the Yarsani religious tradition. Sources …… • Ellis H. Minns: • Parchments of the Parthian Period from Avroman in Kurdistan • A. Cowley: • The Pahlavi Document from Avroman • D. N. MacKenzie: • The Pahlavi Parchment of Awroman • Ehsan Yarshater (Encyclopædia Iranica): • Avroman Documents • Muhammad Amin Zaki Beg: • A Summary of the History of the Kurds and Kurdistan • Mastura Ardalan: • History of Ardalan #bakur_başur_rojava_rojhilat #kurdistan #kobani_qamishlo_afrin_hasakeh_dirk #rojava_rojhelat_başur_bakûr_kurdistan #kurd

Pīrbāl Yazdānšēr

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Sunday 25 October 2026 10:27:50 GMT