Psalter Pahlavi

Psalter Pahlavi derives its name from the so-called „Pahlavi Psalter“, a 6th- or 7th-century translation of a Syriac book of psalms. This text, which was found at Bulayiq near Turpan in northwest China, is the earliest evidence of literary composition in Pahlavi, dating to the 6th or 7th century AD.

The manuscript comes from around the mid-6th century since the translation reflects liturgical additions to the Syriac original by Mar Aba I, who was Patriarch of the Church of the East.

The script of the psalms has 18 graphemes altogether, which is 5 more than Book Pahlavi and one less than Inscriptional Pahlavi. As for Book Pahlavi, we can see that the letters there are connected with each other.

Speaking of other sources of Psalter Pahlavi that survived, there are various inscriptions on a bronze processional cross found at Herat (today's Afghanistan). Due to the dearth of comparable material, some words and phrases in both sources remain undeciphered.