Old Uyghur Unicode Characters page 1

Old Uyghur was an alphabet used by the Uyghur people in Central Asia between the 8th and 17th centuries. The script is derived from the Sogdian script and was used to write the Old Uyghur language, which is an important early Turkic language. The Uyghur Kingdom was a major political and cultural power along the Silk Road, and its script played a key role in the region’s religious, literary, and administrative traditions. Old Uyghur was used to record texts related to Buddhism, Manichaeism, and Nestorian Christianity, making it an important script for the study of religious history in Central Asia. By including Old Uyghur in Unicode, scholars and linguists can ensure the digital preservation and study of ancient texts, contributing to the broader understanding of the cultural and historical exchanges that took place along the Silk Road. Its inclusion also supports efforts to preserve Uyghur cultural heritage, which remains important to the Uyghur people today..