نامه نخست سغدي

The First Sogdian Ancient Letter

Sogd (Sogdiana) was the ancient name of a place near Badakhshan valley. The center of this city was Samarqand. In the Sassanid era, Sogdians were known for their trade activities especially with China and India. It was also considered as one of the main economic centers. A large number of works have remained from the language of these people. Historically, one of the most important works is the Sogdian ancient letters. These letters were discovered in 1907 by the British archaeologist Sir Aurel Stein in a watch tower on the great wall of China in Gansu province. There are five complete and four incomplete letters. Sogdian letters speak of the social and political developments in the lives of the people of that time in China. The first Sogdian letter was written by a woman from Dun Huang to her husband.