China: Head of a Buddha image from the Kingdom of Khotan, Xinjiang, 6th-7th century

The Kingdom of Khotan was an ancient Buddhist kingdom that was located on the branch of the Silk Road that ran along the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert in the Tarim basin. The area lies in present day Xinjiang, China.

The ancient capital was originally located to the west of modern day Hotan (Chinese: 和田) at Yotkan. From the Han Dynasty until at least the Tang Dynasty it was known in Chinese as Yutian (Chinese: 于闐, 于窴).

The kingdom existed for over a thousand years until it was conquered by Muslim invaders in 1006.

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