Caucasian Albanian (Unicode block)

The Caucasian Albanian Unicode block is a range of code points allocated in the Unicode Standard to represent the letters, numbers, and punctuation of the Caucasian Albanian alphabet. This alphabet was used to write the extinct Caucasian Albanian language, spoken in the ancient region of Caucasian Albania, which roughly corresponds to parts of present-day Azerbaijan and Dagestan.

The block is located in the Supplementary Multilingual Plane (SMP), specifically between U+10530 and U+1056F. It contains 53 code points, of which 52 are assigned characters and one is a noncharacter. These code points represent the 29 letters of the Caucasian Albanian alphabet, a number of punctuation marks, and numerical digits.

The inclusion of the Caucasian Albanian script in Unicode allows for the digital preservation and scholarly study of texts written in this language. Prior to its encoding in Unicode, representing Caucasian Albanian texts digitally was difficult and required using custom fonts or transliteration systems, hindering collaboration and data exchange. The Unicode block facilitates the accurate representation, archival, and linguistic analysis of the surviving Caucasian Albanian inscriptions and palimpsests. The script's presence in Unicode supports ongoing research into the language's phonology, grammar, and historical significance.