Islam Akhun
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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
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"
Aurel Stein
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Sir Marc Aurel Stein was a Hungarian-born British archaeologist, primarily known for his explorations and archaeological discoveries in Central Asia. He was also a professor at Indian universities.
Islam Akhun
…if any are forgeries, they can only be duplicates of others which are genuine. It was, ironically, Hoernlé's report that re-asserted the suspicions of Aurel Stein — renowned archaeologist and Indo-Iranian scholar — regarding the authenticity of the manuscripts. During his first Central Asia expedition in 1900…
Stein in 1909
Photograph of Aurel Stein, with his dog and research team, in the Tarim Basin
Photograph of Aurel Stein's grave marker in the Sherpur Cantonment, Kabul