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Phagspa Script

Type Object Region China Time 1269–1360

An alphabetic script created by Imperial Preceptor 'Phags-pa at the order of Kublai Khan, based on Tibetan letters to transcribe Mongolian, later als…

Timeline

  1. 1269Yuan Dadu · North China'Phags-pa created the new Mongolian script at Kublai Khan's order, officially promulgating it in the sixth year of the Zhiyuan era and designating it the "national script," used to write edicts and official documents.
  2. c. 1270–1300Yuan empire · ChinaPhagspa appears on imperial decrees, tallies, seals, inscriptions, and paper money, becoming the technical vehicle for unified written expression in the multilingual Yuan empire, and was also used to transcribe Chinese.
  3. c. 1360–1368China · ChinaAfter the fall of the Yuan, Phagspa ceased official use and traditional Uyghur-style Mongolian script regained popularity; surviving inscriptions and documents remain important relics for studying Yuan-era languages and scripts.

Sources