Script - Inscriptional Pahlavi

Inscriptional Pahlavi is a historical writing system used primarily for Middle Persian inscriptions from the 2nd century BCE to the 6th century CE, found on stone, metal, and clay artifacts across the Sasanian Empire. Its Unicode character property value, “Inscriptional Pahlavi,” identifies a distinct set of 27 letters, numerals, and punctuation marks that are right‑to‑left and cursive in origin, though many characters join or vary in form depending on position. The script lacks explicit vowel marks, relying on context or Aramaic heterograms, and its encoded range includes characters for writing royal, religious, and administrative texts. This value helps software correctly render, sort, and analyze these ancient inscriptions, distinguishing them from other Pahlavi variants like Psalter or Book Pahlavi.