Publication of The Pahlavi Codex MK: Facsimile Edition

The Pahlavi Codex MK: Facsimile Edition, edited by Kaikhusroo M. JamaspAsa and Almut Hintze, has been published by Harrassowitz Verlag.

The manuscript MK, from the family collection of Dastur Dr Kaikhusroo M. JamaspAsa, is the oldest extant Pahlavi codex. Written in 1322 by the Zoroastrian priest and scribe Mihraban Kayhusraw, it contains 38 texts. Most belong to the genre of Andarz, or Wisdom literature, while others, including the Book of Deeds of King Ardashir, the founder of the Sasanian royal dynasty, form part of Middle Persian court literature.

The volume opens with an introduction providing a detailed description of the physical condition of the manuscript and a survey of its contents. The main section presents facsimiles of the complete manuscript, accompanied by headings and marginal notes identifying individual texts and paragraphs. The volume concludes with an index of texts and a bibliography.

The hardback edition comprises 400 pages, 57 illustrations, 8 tables, and 284 plates. It was published on 9 September 2026 and carries the ISBN 978-3-447-06702-7.

The publication provides scholars with comprehensive access to one of the most important surviving witnesses to the Pahlavi written tradition and constitutes a significant resource for the study of Middle Persian language, literature, and manuscript culture.

Further information is available from the publisher: Harrassowitz Verlag