The Manichaean script is a variant of the Syriac script designed to record the Middle Persian language. It was in use in Manichaeism, and was allegedly designed by Mani himself. Manichaean manuscripts in Sogdian were also partly written in this script, and partly in the Sogdian (or "Uighur") script. An abjad is a type of writing system where there is one symbol per consonantal phoneme, sometimes also called a consonantary. ... Pahlavi is a term that refers: (1) to a script used in Iran derived from the Aramaic script, and (2) more broadly, to Middle Persian, the Middle Iranian language written in this script. ... The Sogdians were an ancient people of Central Asia, who inhabited the region known to the West as Sogdiana. ... Late Antiquity is a rough periodization (c. ... The Aramaic alphabet is an abjad alphabet designed for writing the Aramaic language. ... 11th century book in Syriac Serto. ... For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words see here. ... Phonetics (from the Greek word φωνή, phone meaning sound, voice) is the study of sounds and the human voice. ... Because of technical limitations, some web browsers may not display some special characters in this article. ... This is a concise version of the International Phonetic Alphabet for English sounds. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Note: This article contains special characters. ... Pahlavi is a term that refers: (1) to a script used in Iran derived from the Aramaic script, and (2) more broadly, to Middle Persian, the Middle Iranian language written in this script. ... Manichean priests, writing at their desk, with panel inscription in Sogdian. ... Mani (in Persian & Arabic مانی) was born in Babylon, Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) which was a part of Persian Empire about 210-276 CE. He was a religious preacher and the founder of Manichaeism, an ancient Persian gnostic religion that was once prolific but is now extinct. ... The Sogdians were an ancient people of Central Asia, who inhabited the region known to the West as Sogdiana. ...

Outside Manichaeism, Middle Persian was recorded in the Pahlavi script. All of the Manichaean, the Pahlavi and the Sogdian scripts, as Achaemenid Empire. The Pahlavi script was used broadly in the Sasanid Persian Empire to write down Middle Persian for secular, as well as religious purposes. ... Achaemenid Empire The Achaemenid Dynasty was a dynasty in the ancient Persian Empire, including Cyrus II the Great, Darius I and Xerxes I. At the height of their power, the Achaemenid rulers of Persia ruled over territories roughly emcompassing some parts of todays Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon...

The bulk the Manichaean manuscripts were collected by 19th century German expeditions, and are preserved in Berlin.

External links

• http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/silkroad/parthianlge.html
• http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/silkroad/manichaeanlge.html