Re-reading of the Akhlāṭ Pasha Khātūn Inscription: Tombstone of a Fourteenth-Century Ŗōzhikī Princess

Abstract

Interest in the group of inscriptions now referred to as ‘Akhlāṭ tombstones’ was mainly revived in 1972 by the reading and interpretation of some inscriptions of the tombstones at Akhlāṭ Meydanlık Cemetery. These readings, accompanied by breakthroughs in the decipherment of the script, allowed the inscriptions to be read for the first time. Although some inscriptions are complete, the reading and linguistic content of the majority of the inscriptions remain largely obscure. In this brief note, a re-reading is put forward concerning the tombstone of Pasha Khātūn, a fourteenth-century Ŗōzhikī princess of Bidlīs. It underscores the importance of the inscriptions and tombstones found in Bidlīs for cross-verifying information with other contemporary sources.