Unicode Block - Multani

Multani is a historical script used primarily for writing the Multani language, a dialect of Saraiki, in the Multan region of present-day Pakistan, particularly for commercial and administrative records. This writing system, also known as Karai or Khatt, is an abugida derived from the Landa family of scripts, featuring a distinctive right-to-left directionality and a cursive style with many letters connecting. The characters represent consonants with inherent vowels, and vowel diacritics are used to modify sounds. The block encodes the base consonants, independent vowels, and various marks necessary for accurate transcription of the language, which was in use from around the 18th to the mid-20th century before falling into disuse. Its inclusion in digital standards helps preserve this regional heritage for scholarly study and potential revitalization efforts.