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PASHTO TRANSLATION OF THE YAKAWLANG STONE INSCRIPTION
Mohammad Nabi Salahi
Professor Kabul – Afghanistan Academy of Sciences
Abstract of the article
The Yakawlang inscription is written in the Bactrian language of ancient
Afghanistan and its alphabets are Greek. This inscription is the third important and
valuable historical document discovered about the ancient history of Afghanistan
after the inscriptions of Surkh Kotal and Rabatak. The Yakawlang inscription was
recently discovered in the Tangi Safidak area of Bamyan Province.
Here, the following five aspects of the Yakawlang inscription have been
discussed, and the most important thing is that for the first time, a Pashto translation
of the Yakawlang inscription has been presented in this article. In this article, the
following five aspects of the Yakawlang inscription have been discussed:
• The form and structure of the Yakawlang inscription.
• Thematic and contextual structure of the Yakawlang inscription.
• The language of the Yakawlang inscription.
• The alphabets of the Yakawlang inscription.
• Pashto translation of the Yakawlang inscription.
The purpose of the article
Pashto is the language of 70 million people in Central Asia, and the name of
Yakawlang also seems to be related to the Bactrian language. This inscription is also
written in Bactrian and Greek alphabets. This inscription is now preserved in the
National Museum in Kabul, like the inscriptions of Surkh Kotal and Rabatak, so its
Pashto translation is very necessary, and the main purpose and objective of writing
this article is to present the Pashto text of the Yakawlang inscription.
The value of the article
The Yakawlang inscription is written in Bactrian and its alphabets are Greek. In
this article, the Pashto translation of the Yakawlang inscription is presented for the
first time. This inscription has not yet been translated into Pashto, the national and
official language of Afghanistan. The fact that the Pashto text of this inscription is
presented for the first time in this article is a very important point and has special
significance.
Article Method
The form of the article is library and museum, and the research method of this
article is analytical-descriptive.
Key words used
International scientific journal
“Interpretation and researches”
Volume 1 issue 6 (52) | ISSN: 2181-4163 | Impact Factor: 8.2
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Yakawlang inscription, Bactrian language, Greek alphabets, Dari translation of
Bactrian language, and Pashto translation of Bactrian language.
Article text
This stone inscription was found in the Tangi Safidak area of Bamyan province.
The name of Yakawlang also seems to be related to the Bactrian language. This
inscription is also written in the Bactrian language and Greek alphabets. This stone
inscription is now preserved in the National Museum in Kabul, like the surkh kotal
and Rabatak stone inscriptions.
A picture of the Yakawlang rock inscription in its original state.
Reconstructed version of the Yakawlang rock inscription
Professor Nicholas Sims Williams, an English linguist and Bactrian language
expert, came to Kabul from London in 2003 to read this stone inscription and spent
several days studying and researching it. Finally, it was first translated into English
by this renowned English linguist, and then by Professor Ghulam Jilani Dawari, who
first analyzed it in German and then translated it into Dari.
.
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Historical monument and the pillar structure of the temple attached to the wall
Professor Dawari, in his translation and analysis of this inscription by Professor
Nicholas Sims-Williams, writes: The first exploration of the historical monument by
local farmers was the construction of a temple pillar attached to the wall, consisting
of both a top pillar and a bottom pillar, and between the two pillars, the Yakawlang
inscription was carved.
"At the end of 2003, when Nicolas Sims Williams wrote the results of his
research, it was too early and more research should have been done on it."1
Jonathan Lee (Jona–than-lee) drew the attention of Kabul authorities to the
proper preservation of this stone inscription. This stone inscription has great
historical and linguistic importance after the Surkh Kotal and Rabatak stone
inscriptions and is considered a very important stone document and stone line. This
stone inscription has been somewhat damaged over the centuries due to rains, storms,
and constant moisture.
In many parts, the letters and words of the stone inscription cannot be read
properly. Professor Dawari has the following comments about the details of this stone
inscription:
The current form of the Yakawlang stone inscription, the upper part of which
appears to have been restored. “For the first time, Mr. (Peter Shewittek), a German
citizen, was working in Hazara Jat with his son and wife in 1996 to combat
tuberculosis and discovered the site of this stone inscription. This site was the
personal property of Mohammad Hussain Rustamyar, who was in charge of schools
in Hazara Jat at that time. Rustamyar’s workplace was near the Shewittek clinic.
About 20 kilometers south of the valley where the Nik Daryab flows.
Rustamyar's property was there. The farmers who had leased this land from
Rustamyar and were farming on it noticed that water was flowing and then
disappearing in one part of the land. The farmers thought that there must be
something underground that was causing the water to flow there.
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So they began excavating the land in the 1960s. When Shutek visited the site on
September 4, 1969, the farmers had dug the land a little deeper and found a historical
monument there.
"See, this historical monument consists of a large stone block of 3+3 and this
[religious] monument was made of stones that were previously carved. The outer part
of this historical monument was made of pillars and decorated and on its face, there
was a large stone slab of 25+33 which, in our opinion, was engraved. The first two
lines of the inscription were lost."2
This inscription has a total of 13 lines, and each line is separated from the other
by a distance of two centimeters. When the temple was removed from the wall, the
first two lines were lost. The first four lines, very large and deeply engraved, are
small. The text of the inscription contains spelling errors and it seems from the text of
the inscription that the author was not fully fluent in the Bactrian language.
The first lines may contain the date of the inscription and the year of the
inscription (derived from the Tuchi inscription in Sanskrit and Bactrian, located in
Pakistan), which is either 232 or 333 CE, but Sims Williams has fixed the date as 392
CE in the month of Sabul. This point is mentioned by Sims Williams in his work Silk
Road, which is in the form of an essay. There are the names of two kings, Sims
Williams has translated one Arab and the other Turk, and Dauri has translated one
Arab and the other Tajik, and in the matter of paying taxes to the Arabs, the financial
problem of a farmer is written and it is about the sale of land.
The contents of the inscription are given as follows: “It was built in the month of
Sabul [Salvagha-Dilwa] in 392 (=424 CE). The foundation of this stupa was laid by
Al-Khas, son of Khorasan…”3
This word is Torko, which Sims Williams translated with the first letter as (d)
and the second letter as (t).
Point-by-point Pashto translation of the Yakawlang inscription
αχþονο
τ κ β μαυο σβωλο καλδο ωσταδο μο
axšono
۱
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t k b mauo sbōlo kaldo ōstado mo
It was built in the year 392 (= 624 AD) in the month
of Sabul (Salvagha-Dalwa).
βογγο
ιμο στοπο μανο αλχισο χορασο πορο
bongo
imo stopo mano alxiso xoraso poro
The foundation of this stupa was laid by me, Alkhes,
son of Khorasan.
۲
gαζανο
χοδδηοο αβο ραγο ζαμαγγανο | καλδο
gazano
xoddēoo abo rago zamangano | kaldo
The
king of Ghazni built the Zamangano Ragh [in the
desert]. When
۳
τορκο
χαρο (ο)δο ταζιγο χαρο sταδο ταδο μο κι
torko
xaro (o)do tazigo xaro stado tado mo ki
I became king of the Turks and the Tazygs
[Arabs], so
۴
ρδδιγο
δδηβδαρμο αβατανο δριγδδινδο |
rddigo
ddēbdarmo abatano drigddindo |
The sacred vows given by me were received by the
abbots.
۵
οδο μο
πισο ιμο ζιναλακο δδηβδαρμο κιρδο
odo mo
piso imo zinalako ddēbdarmo kirdo
So these offerings [best gifts] were offered by me to
this sacred stupa,
۶
πιδο
۷
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αλαγαμαγγο πηυρο ασιδομο αβο βοδδο (σ)αστρο
pido
alagamaggo pēuro asidomo abo boddo (s)astro
Based on the great faith that I have in front of the
Great Buddha,
σταδο
οδο πιδο στοργο σραδο οδο πιδο ωÞτογδδι-
stado
odo pido storgo srado odo pido ōštogddi-
I have the firm belief and firm faith that I have in
religion.
8
gο |
ιωγο το ωσο ασιδασο μαρο ποννο οδο ι αβρσο
go |
iōgo to ōso asidaso maro ponno odo i abrso
From the reward of (Punia) that I have received so far
9
ασταδο
(τ)αδαζαλχισο οδο μανν(α)γγο μαδδοπιδδιγο
astado
(t)adazalxiso odo mann(a)ggo maddopiddigo
It is possible, I hope, that I, Al-Hais and my (family),
parents
1
0
οδο
ολο οδο βαραδανο πορανο οδο [μισο] υαμογωυριγα-
odo olo
odo baradano porano odo [miso] uamogōuriga-
.
friends
my
also
and
sons,
brothers,
wife,
My
1
1
νο
οισπο κικο αβο χοβο χοβο ιαγαλαγο
mo
oispo kiko abo xobo xobo iagalago
Each
of them has its own main purpose.
1
2
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If we compare these three inscriptions, the Yakawlang inscription comes in third
place. Both its lines are less than 25 and 23, and also because the first two lines have
been lost due to rains and moisture.
“Although most of this text contains common and ordinary subjects, some
informative points, such as the name of the place (Zamgan) and the names of the
kings Al-Khas and his father Khoras, are also present.
Al-Khas calls himself the king of Ghazni. The name Ghazni draws the mind to
this direction, so that one can imagine that this is the same city of Ghazni. However,
more archaeological research is needed to prove whether the area where the Stupa
Odbarlik was found was included in the administrative sphere of influence of the city
of Ghazni at that time or not?
"In addition, the Safidak Strait inscription is of particular importance in
demonstrating the persistence and resilience of Buddhism until the late 8th century
CE, despite all the difficulties and difficulties."4
Controversy
The Yakawlang inscription was first translated from Bactrian into English by the
English writer and researcher Nicholas Sims-Williams. Nicholas Sims-Williams has
published professional and scholarly information about the Bactrian language in his
work "Recent Discoveries of the Bactrian Language and Their Historical
Significance".
Afghan researcher and writer Professor Ghulam Jilani Dawari, who is the
assistant to Nicholas Sims William in the Bactrian language department at the
international level, translated the Yakawlang inscription from Bactrian into Dari for
the first time, and Dari is also the national and official language of historical
Afghanistan. The researcher published the same article in the Kushanyan (magazine)
of the International Center for Kushan Studies of the Afghan Academy of Sciences,
and I (Mohammad Nabi Salahi)
πρησιν
δδηιο | ναμω βοδδανο
prēsind
dēio | namō boddano
Reach out. Glory be to the Buddha!
1
3
(Schlus
szeichen)
The end of the stone letter
International scientific journal
“Interpretation and researches”
Volume 1 issue 6 (52) | ISSN: 2181-4163 | Impact Factor: 8.2
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This article presents the Pashto text of the Yakawlang inscription for the first
time, which had not been done before.
Conclusion
The interpreter of the stone inscription admits to spelling errors in this stone
inscription and spelling errors can change the meaning of the word, therefore,
understanding the meaning of the text of this stone inscription is still worth
considering and further research is needed on this topic. I think that an emotional
approach has been taken in translating this inscription. If the spelling errors of the
Yakawlang stone inscription are corrected and improved, then changes can also be
made in the Dari and Pashto texts of this stone inscription.
Suggestions
1. Since the author of the Yakawlang inscription has spelling errors, it is
necessary to be more careful, and compared to this inscription, the inscriptions of
Sorkh Kotal and Rabat are more complete and have many times greater historical and
linguistic value. Therefore, scholars' research on this inscription should be deeper and
more extensive.
2. On the other hand, there are a number of words that Anne Sims Williams did
not understand and has put a mark there, such as the question mark (?) before the
word "Turk". Thus, although the language of all three stone inscriptions is Bactrian
and the alphabets are Greek, there is a great difference in their contents. There is also
a great difference in their length, width and thickness.
The area where the Surkh Kotal inscription was found is a few kilometers away
from the Rabatak inscription, and the Yakawlang inscription site is far away from
them and is another area that had a separate administration at the same time, so much
new research is needed in this regard.
Resources:
1. Dauri, Ghulam Jilani. "Discussion about the inscription of the Western Tangi
Sapedak in Yakawlang Province, Bamiyan". Kushanyan (magazine). Afghanistan
Academy of Sciences, Kushani International Research Center: Kabul, 1388 AH. Sh.,
p. 19.
2. Dauri, Ghulam Jilani. "Discussion about the inscription of the Western Tangi
Sapedak in Yakawlang Province, Bamiyan". Kushanyan (magazine). P. 34.
3. Dawari, Ghulam Jilani. « Discussion on the Bactrian inscription of Tangi
Sapedak in Yakawlang, Bamyan Province ». (Journal) Kushanian. p. 35.
4. Sims Williams, Nicholas. Recent discoveries about the Bactrian language and
their historical significance, 4 lectures, translated by Professor Sayed Mohiuddin
Hashemi, Society for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage of Afghanistan (SAPCH):
Kabul, 2004, p. 8.
