Pata Khazāna ( ps, پټه خزانه, translation=The Hidden Treasure) is the title of a manuscript written in the

Pashto language Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani (). Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official languages ...

. According to its discoverer, the script contains an

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

Pashto poetry Pashto literature ( ps, ) refers to literature and poetry in Pashto language. The history of Pashto literature spreads over five thousands years having its roots in the oral tradition of tapa. However, the first recorded period begins in 7th cen ...

, which precedes the earliest known works of

Pashto literature Pashto literature ( ps, ) refers to literature and poetry in Pashto language. The history of Pashto literature spreads over five thousands years having its roots in the oral tradition of tapa. However, the first recorded period begins in 7th cen ...

by hundreds of years. The manuscript is widely viewed as a forgery.

Discovery

The Afghan scholar Abdul Hai Habibi claimed to have discovered the manuscript in 1944. He claimed it was a 19th-century copy of an anthology of Pashto poetry written in 1729 in

Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a List of cities in Afghanistan, city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population ...

by Shah

Hussain Hotak Shah Hussain Hotak, (Pashto/Dari: ), son of Mirwais Hotak, was the fifth and last ruler of the Hotak dynasty. An ethnic Pashtun (''Afghan'') from the Ghilji tribe, he succeeded to the throne after the death of his brother Mahmud Hotak in 1725. He ...

. The anthology is a compilation of works of hitherto unknown poets dating back to the eighth century. Habibi published the manuscript as a

facsimile A facsimile (from Latin ''fac simile'', "to make alike") is a copy or reproduction of an old book, manuscript, map, Old master print, art print, or other item of historical value that is as true to the original source as possible. It differs from ...

in 1975 but did not make the original document available for historical testing due to the scholars not following the UN protocol. The original book resides at afghan archives in Kabul for viewing.

Reception

Since the publication of the first edition of the book, some scholars have raised doubts about its authenticity. Habibi dismissed such critics, stating that their arguments were not "scientifically based". Nevertheless, most experts consider it to be a forgery. The earliest known document written in Pashto is dated to the sixteenth century. The poems compiled in the Pata Khazana therefore extend the history of Pashto literature by about 800 years. The first translation into a European language, with a detailed critical commentary, only appeared in 1987, written by the Italian Iranologist

Lucia Serena Loi Lucia may refer to: Arts and culture * ''Lucía'', a 1968 Cuban film by Humberto Solás * ''Lucia'' (film), a 2013 Kannada-language film * '' Lucia & The Best Boys'', a Scottish indie rock band formerly known as ''LUCIA'' * "Lucia", a Swedish c ...

. The most intensive critical occupation with the manuscript among Pashto scholars was published by the Pashtun scholar

Qalandar Mohmand Qalandar may refer to: * Qalandariyya, a Sufi mystic order * Qalandar (title), a title for Sufi saints * Qalandar (clan), a Muslim community found in North India and Pakistan * Qalandar (tribe), a Hazara tribe found in Afghanistan Places in Iran ...

in 1988. Another scholar Juma Khan Sufi in his critical exposition of Pata Khazana also questions the authenticity of the Pata Khazana. As the original manuscript is not available to the public, the authenticity of the document could only be checked by analyzing the orthography and style of the facsimile. Due to the large number of errors and

anachronism An anachronism (from the Ancient Greek, Greek , 'against' and , 'time') is a chronology, chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of people, events, objects, language terms and customs from different time per ...

s found in the script, the authenticity of the manuscript is widely excluded among scholars of Iranian studies. Some scholars, however, do not want to rule out completely the authenticity of at least parts of some poems compiled in the manuscript. There is no consensus on the time of fabrication. Loi considers the manuscript a forgery of the late 19th century, while the Iranologist David Neil MacKenzie concludes from the anachronisms that the document was fabricated only shortly before its claimed discovery in 1944. MacKenzie's central argument refers to the use of the modern Pashto letters ẓ̌e () and ṇun () throughout the script. These letters were only introduced into the Pashto alphabet in 1936 when the Afghan government reformed the Pashto orthography. MacKenzie claims that the two letters have never been found simultaneously in any genuine manuscript before 1935.David Neil MacKenzie: "The Development of the Pashto Script". In: Shirin Akiner (Editor): ''Languages and Scripts of Central Asia''. School of Oriental and African Studies, Univ. of London, 1997, . p. 142

References

Pashto-language literature

Discovery

Reception

Further reading

References