Makasar Unicode Characters page 1

The Makasar script was historically used on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia, by the Makassarese people. It is part of the broader family of Brahmic scripts that spread across South and Southeast Asia, influenced by the spread of Hinduism and Buddhism. The script was used primarily for writing Old Makassarese and religious texts until it was replaced by the Latin alphabet during the Dutch colonial period. The Unicode block for Makasar helps ensure that this script, like many others in Indonesia, is preserved for future generations. Scholars, cultural activists, and linguists now have the tools to digitally encode and study Makasar texts, which are important for understanding the region’s rich history, including its pre-Islamic and Islamic periods..