Bower Manuscript
Videos
The Bower Manuscript is a collection of seven fragmentary Sanskrit treatises found buried in a Buddhist memorial stupa near Kucha, northwestern China. Written in early Gupta script on birch bark, it i
The Bower Manuscript
5th to 6th century Bower manuscript, Sanskrit, early Gupta script, Kucha Xinjiang China, Leaf 1
5th to 6th century Bower manuscript, Sanskrit, early Gupta script, Kucha Xinjiang China, Leaf 2
5th to 6th century Bower manuscript, Sanskrit, early Gupta script, Kucha Xinjiang China, Leaf 3
Islam Akhun
Videos
Islam Akhun was a Uyghur con artist from Khotan who forged numerous manuscripts and printed documents and sold them as ancient Silk Road manuscripts. Since the accidental discovery of the Bower Manusc
Bower Manuscript
…and other ancient treasures. These expeditions yielded major discoveries such as the Dunhuang manuscripts, as well as famous forgeries such as those of Islam Akhun, in the decades that followed. The European Union-funded International Dunhuang Project has continued the legacy of the Bower manuscript which in part…
Islam Akhun in Aurel Stein's Ancient Khotan (1907), as photographed by Stein 1901
A forgery produced by woodblock printing by Islam Akhun and sold to George Macartney in Kashgar, 1896.
Forged manuscript sold to Macartney in 1896
Letter from Stein to Hoernle, describing Akhun as a "very clever rascal"