Khwj

Khwj is a lesser-known but historically significant script used primarily in the ancient kingdom of Khwarezm, located in what is now parts of modern-day Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Iran. The script emerged around the 8th century CE and was predominantly used for writing the Khwarezmian language, a Turkic dialect. It is believed to have evolved from the Sogdian script, which itself was derived from the Aramaic alphabet.

Khwj is notable for its unique characters, which include both Latinate and Cyrillic-inspired letters, as well as some distinctive symbols. The script was used for administrative, legal, and literary purposes, with inscriptions found on documents, seals, and monuments. Its use declined with the rise of the Arabic script in the region following the Islamic conquests of the 8th and 9th centuries, though it persisted in certain contexts for several centuries.

The script was first systematically studied in the 19th century by European scholars, particularly those interested in Central Asian epigraphy. Today, Khwj is primarily of academic interest, used by historians, linguists, and archaeologists to decode ancient texts. Its study provides valuable insights into the cultural and linguistic interactions of the Silk Road era, particularly between Turkic, Iranian, and Indo-European traditions.

Few complete texts in Khwj survive, and much of what is known about the script comes from fragmentary inscriptions and comparative analysis with related scripts. Efforts to reconstruct its phonetic system remain ongoing, as do debates about its exact origins and relationship to other ancient alphabets. Despite its obscurity, Khwj remains an important subject in the broader field of historical linguistics and scriptology.