A New-found Maktub [Writing] of Qalandars and a Brief Discussion on the Qalandari Lutr [Constructed Language] (and a New Edition of Maktubat [Writings])

In ancient Iran, many groups, sects, and even some guild owners and craftsmen used to invent a particular language over time that was sometimes difficult, if not impossible, to be understood thoroughly or even generally by others. Qalandars were considered one of the most important social classes in Iran that had their own thought and consequently their own language, and some clear indications of them are still present in Iranian culture. In spite of all the valuable efforts that have been made to gain sufficient knowledge about Qalandars, many aspects of their lives have remained unseen or unknown. Their constructed language or the Qalandari Lutr is one of the topics deserving attention. Qalandars’ letters to each other are among the works left by them which are replete with jargons and terminology specific to this class. In other words, they represent the way they thought and lived. The most important of these letters are included in The Generalities by Obaid Zakani. Some scholars have been skeptical about attributing these works to Obaid. In Obaid Zakani’s The Generalities, the manuscript kept in Raghib Pasha Library which has previously been neglected by the editors of Obaid's works, these two letters were found along with a third letter, which is very similar to the previous two letters. The present paper initially presents the background, and subsequently examines the texts of all three letters regarding the handwritten manuscripts, prints, stylistic features and some equivalence references, and tries to provide a more accurate edition of the first two letters while presenting the new-found letter. Finally, this paper presents the correct form of some jargons and terminologies, some of their semantic aspects, and the researcher’s reading of them.