Knowra Middle Persian Middle Persian Middle Persian is a western Iranian language used chiefly in the Sasanian Empire (224–651 CE). It survives in inscriptions, administrative documents, and Zoroastrian religious texts.
Iranian languages : A branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, including Persian, Kurdish, Pashto, and Ossetian. Middle Persian belongs to this branch, whose earlier and later stages frame its history.
Pahlavi inscriptions : Monumental texts written in Middle Persian using scripts associated with the Sasanian state. They preserve formal language, royal titles, and evidence for public literacy.
Sasanian Empire : An Iranian empire that ruled from 224 to 651 CE, succeeding the Parthian Empire. Middle Persian served as a prominent language of its government and royal display.
Zoroastrian Middle Persian literature : A body of Zoroastrian religious works composed or transmitted in Middle Persian. It preserves the language in theological, legal, and cosmological writing.
Persian language : A southwestern Iranian language spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, with a long literary history. Middle Persian contributed to its historical development, though Persian also changed substantially after the Sasanian period.
Old Persian : An ancient Iranian language known chiefly from Achaemenid royal inscriptions. It is an earlier Iranian language whose historical relationship to Middle Persian is often compared.
Book Pahlavi : A cursive Pahlavi script used chiefly in manuscripts of Zoroastrian literature. Its highly connected letter forms made religious Middle Persian texts difficult to read.
Sasanian rock reliefs : Monumental carvings produced under Sasanian rulers, sometimes accompanied by inscriptions. Their Middle Persian inscriptions place the language in public royal and religious settings.
Denkard : A medieval Zoroastrian compendium preserving teachings and accounts of religious tradition. Its Middle Persian prose illustrates the language's extensive use in religious scholarship.
Pahlavi literature : Zoroastrian and other writings composed in Middle Persian, especially during the early Islamic centuries. Its transmission carried Middle Persian texts into later religious communities.
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