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Tuyoq or Tuyugou is an ancient oasis-village in the Taklamakan desert, 70 km east of Turpan in a lush valley cutting into the Flaming Mountains, with a well preserved Uyghur orientation. It is famous for its seedless grapes and a number of ancient Buddhist meditation caves nearby containing frescos, the best known being the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves.
Tuyoq or Tuyugou is an ancient oasis-village in the Taklamakan desert, 70 km east of Turpan in a lush valley cutting into the Flaming Mountains, with a well preserved Uyghur orientation. It is famous for its seedless grapes and a number of ancient Buddhist meditation caves nearby containing frescos, the best known being the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves.
Tuyoq or Tuyugou is an ancient oasis-village in the Taklamakan desert, 70 km east of Turpan in a lush valley cutting into the Flaming Mountains, with a well preserved Uyghur orientation. It is famous for its seedless grapes and a number of ancient Buddhist meditation caves nearby containing frescos, the best known being the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves.
Gaochang (Qara-hoja in Uyghur) is located in present-day Xinjiang Province, 30 km from Turpan. The site is also known in early published reports as Chotscho, Khocho, or Qočo. The archaeological remains are just outside the town at a place originally called Idykut-schari or Idikutschari by local residents.<br/><br/> Artistic monuments of the city have been published by Albert von Le Coq. Gaochang was built in the 1st century BCE, it was an important site along the Silk Road. It played a key role as a transportation hub in western China. There is some documented history surviving today, perhaps stories passed on through oral tradition exist to detail the history. It was burnt down in wars in the 14th century. Old palace ruins and inside and outside cities can still be seen today.
The Kunlun Mountains are one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending more than 3,000 km. In the broadest sense, it forms the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau south of the Tarim Basin and the Gansu Corridor and continues east south of the Wei River to end at the North China Plain.
The Allied occupation of Japan at the end of World War II was led by General Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, with support from the British Commonwealth. Unlike in the occupation of Germany, the Soviet Union was allowed little to no influence over Japan.<br/><br/> This foreign presence marked the only time in Japan's history that it had been occupied by a foreign power] It transformed the country into a parliamentary democracy that recalled American 'New Deal' priorities of the 1930s politics by Roosevelt.<br/><br/> The occupation, codenamed Operation Blacklist, was ended by the San Francisco Peace Treaty, signed on September 8, 1951 and effective from April 28, 1952, after which Japan's independence – with the exception, until 1972, of the Ryukyu Islands – was restored.
In earlier times, Karghilik (Yecheng), a small oasis town was a starting point for trade caravans leaving the main Silk Road and heading south to Ladakh and Kashmir by way of the difficult 5,575m Karakoram Pass. Today this route is decisively closed, as the Karakoram Pass lies in an area disputed by China and India, as well as close to the Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battlefield where India confronts Pakistan.<br/><br/> Highway 219 follows part of the old trade route as it heads south from Karghilik, through Akmeqit, Mazar and Shahidullah, across the disputed Aksai Chin to Ali (Senge Khabab) in western Tibet. Although still officially closed to visitors, Chinese security has become increasingly relaxed in recent years, and this is becoming a popular (albeit difficult) way for travellers to reach Tibet from Xinjiang.<br/><br/> Karghilik is a quiet little place with an attractive 15th century Friday Mosque, a bustling bazaar, and several reasonable hotels, making it a possible stopover on the journey between Khotan and Kashgar.
In earlier times, Karghilik (Yecheng), a small oasis town was a starting point for trade caravans leaving the main Silk Road and heading south to Ladakh and Kashmir by way of the difficult 5,575m Karakoram Pass. Today this route is decisively closed, as the Karakoram Pass lies in an area disputed by China and India, as well as close to the Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battlefield where India confronts Pakistan.<br/><br/> Highway 219 follows part of the old trade route as it heads south from Karghilik, through Akmeqit, Mazar and Shahidullah, across the disputed Aksai Chin to Ali (Senge Khabab) in western Tibet. Although still officially closed to visitors, Chinese security has become increasingly relaxed in recent years, and this is becoming a popular (albeit difficult) way for travellers to reach Tibet from Xinjiang.<br/><br/> Karghilik is a quiet little place with an attractive 15th century Friday Mosque, a bustling bazaar, and several reasonable hotels, making it a possible stopover on the journey between Khotan and Kashgar.
Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
In earlier times, Karghilik (Yecheng), a small oasis town was a starting point for trade caravans leaving the main Silk Road and heading south to Ladakh and Kashmir by way of the difficult 5,575m Karakoram Pass. Today this route is decisively closed, as the Karakoram Pass lies in an area disputed by China and India, as well as close to the Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battlefield where India confronts Pakistan.
In earlier times, Karghilik (Yecheng), a small oasis town was a starting point for trade caravans leaving the main Silk Road and heading south to Ladakh and Kashmir by way of the difficult 5,575m Karakoram Pass. Today this route is decisively closed, as the Karakoram Pass lies in an area disputed by China and India, as well as close to the Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battlefield where India confronts Pakistan.
In earlier times, Karghilik (Yecheng), a small oasis town was a starting point for trade caravans leaving the main Silk Road and heading south to Ladakh and Kashmir by way of the difficult 5,575m Karakoram Pass. Today this route is decisively closed, as the Karakoram Pass lies in an area disputed by China and India, as well as close to the Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battlefield where India confronts Pakistan.<br/><br/> Highway 219 follows part of the old trade route as it heads south from Karghilik, through Akmeqit, Mazar and Shahidullah, across the disputed Aksai Chin to Ali (Senge Khabab) in western Tibet. Although still officially closed to visitors, Chinese security has become increasingly relaxed in recent years, and this is becoming a popular (albeit difficult) way for travellers to reach Tibet from Xinjiang.<br/><br/> Karghilik is a quiet little place with an attractive 15th century Friday Mosque, a bustling bazaar, and several reasonable hotels, making it a possible stopover on the journey between Khotan and Kashgar.
In earlier times, Karghilik (Yecheng), a small oasis town was a starting point for trade caravans leaving the main Silk Road and heading south to Ladakh and Kashmir by way of the difficult 5,575m Karakoram Pass. Today this route is decisively closed, as the Karakoram Pass lies in an area disputed by China and India, as well as close to the Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battlefield where India confronts Pakistan.<br/><br/> Highway 219 follows part of the old trade route as it heads south from Karghilik, through Akmeqit, Mazar and Shahidullah, across the disputed Aksai Chin to Ali (Senge Khabab) in western Tibet. Although still officially closed to visitors, Chinese security has become increasingly relaxed in recent years, and this is becoming a popular (albeit difficult) way for travellers to reach Tibet from Xinjiang.<br/><br/> Karghilik is a quiet little place with an attractive 15th century Friday Mosque, a bustling bazaar, and several reasonable hotels, making it a possible stopover on the journey between Khotan and Kashgar.
In earlier times, Karghilik (Yecheng), a small oasis town was a starting point for trade caravans leaving the main Silk Road and heading south to Ladakh and Kashmir by way of the difficult 5,575m Karakoram Pass. Today this route is decisively closed, as the Karakoram Pass lies in an area disputed by China and India, as well as close to the Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battlefield where India confronts Pakistan.<br/><br/> Highway 219 follows part of the old trade route as it heads south from Karghilik, through Akmeqit, Mazar and Shahidullah, across the disputed Aksai Chin to Ali (Senge Khabab) in western Tibet. Although still officially closed to visitors, Chinese security has become increasingly relaxed in recent years, and this is becoming a popular (albeit difficult) way for travellers to reach Tibet from Xinjiang.<br/><br/> Karghilik is a quiet little place with an attractive 15th century Friday Mosque, a bustling bazaar, and several reasonable hotels, making it a possible stopover on the journey between Khotan and Kashgar.
In earlier times, Karghilik (Yecheng), a small oasis town was a starting point for trade caravans leaving the main Silk Road and heading south to Ladakh and Kashmir by way of the difficult 5,575m Karakoram Pass. Today this route is decisively closed, as the Karakoram Pass lies in an area disputed by China and India, as well as close to the Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battlefield where India confronts Pakistan.<br/><br/> Highway 219 follows part of the old trade route as it heads south from Karghilik, through Akmeqit, Mazar and Shahidullah, across the disputed Aksai Chin to Ali (Senge Khabab) in western Tibet. Although still officially closed to visitors, Chinese security has become increasingly relaxed in recent years, and this is becoming a popular (albeit difficult) way for travellers to reach Tibet from Xinjiang.<br/><br/> Karghilik is a quiet little place with an attractive 15th century Friday Mosque, a bustling bazaar, and several reasonable hotels, making it a possible stopover on the journey between Khotan and Kashgar.
The Kunlun Mountains are one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending more than 3,000 km. In the broadest sense, it forms the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau south of the Tarim Basin and the Gansu Corridor and continues east south of the Wei River to end at the North China Plain.
The Kunlun Mountains are one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending more than 3,000 km. In the broadest sense, it forms the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau south of the Tarim Basin and the Gansu Corridor and continues east south of the Wei River to end at the North China Plain.
The Kunlun Mountains are one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending more than 3,000 km. In the broadest sense, it forms the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau south of the Tarim Basin and the Gansu Corridor and continues east south of the Wei River to end at the North China Plain.
The Kunlun Mountains are one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending more than 3,000 km. In the broadest sense, it forms the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau south of the Tarim Basin and the Gansu Corridor and continues east south of the Wei River to end at the North China Plain.
The Kunlun Mountains (simplified Chinese: 昆仑山; traditional Chinese: 崑崙山; pinyin: Kūnlún Shān) are one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending more than 3,000 km. In the broadest sense, it forms the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau south of the Tarim Basin and the Gansu Corridor and continues east south of the Wei River to end at the North China Plain.
The Kunlun Mountains (simplified Chinese: 昆仑山; traditional Chinese: 崑崙山; pinyin: Kūnlún Shān) are one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending more than 3,000 km. In the broadest sense, it forms the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau south of the Tarim Basin and the Gansu Corridor and continues east south of the Wei River to end at the North China Plain.
The Kunlun Mountains (simplified Chinese: 昆仑山; traditional Chinese: 崑崙山; pinyin: Kūnlún Shān) are one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending more than 3,000 km. In the broadest sense, it forms the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau south of the Tarim Basin and the Gansu Corridor and continues east south of the Wei River to end at the North China Plain.
The Kunlun Mountains (simplified Chinese: 昆仑山; traditional Chinese: 崑崙山; pinyin: Kūnlún Shān) are one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending more than 3,000 km. In the broadest sense, it forms the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau south of the Tarim Basin and the Gansu Corridor and continues east south of the Wei River to end at the North China Plain.
The Kunlun Mountains (simplified Chinese: 昆仑山; traditional Chinese: 崑崙山; pinyin: Kūnlún Shān) are one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending more than 3,000 km. In the broadest sense, it forms the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau south of the Tarim Basin and the Gansu Corridor and continues east south of the Wei River to end at the North China Plain.
The Kunlun Mountains (simplified Chinese: 昆仑山; traditional Chinese: 崑崙山; pinyin: Kūnlún Shān) are one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending more than 3,000 km. In the broadest sense, it forms the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau south of the Tarim Basin and the Gansu Corridor and continues east south of the Wei River to end at the North China Plain.
Manichaeism was one of the major Iranian Gnostic religions, originating in Sassanid Persia. Although most of the original writings of the founding prophet Mani (c. 216–276 CE) have been lost, numerous translations and fragmentary texts have survived.<br/><br/> Manichaeism taught an elaborate cosmology describing the struggle between a good, spiritual world of light, and an evil, material world of darkness. Through an ongoing process which takes place in human history, light is gradually removed from the world of matter and returned to the world of light from which it came. Its beliefs can be seen as a synthesis of Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Buddhism.<br/><br/> Manichaeism thrived between the third and seventh centuries, and at its height was one of the most widespread religions in the world. Manichaean churches and scriptures existed as far east as China and as far west as the Roman Empire. Manichaeism survived longer in the east, and appears to have finally faded away after the 14th century in southern China.
The Astana Graves (Chinese: 阿斯塔那古墓, Pinyin: Āsītǎnà Gǔmù) are a series of underground tombs located 6km from the ancient city of Gaochang, and 42km from Turpan, in Xinjiang, China. The tombs were used by the inhabitants of Gaochang, both commoners and locals, for about 600 years from 200 CE – 800 CE.<br/><br/> The complex covers 10 square kilometres and contains over 1,000 tombs. Different plots for separate castes and families are marked by gravel dividers. Due to the arid environment many important artifacts have been well preserved at the tombs, including natural mummies.<br/><br/> A typical tomb is entered by a 10 metre sloping staircase. The tombs are not very large, usually only 2 metres high. Some tombs also have murals inside. The deceased were laid on a small raised platform in the back of the tomb, surrounded by possessions and even food.<br/><br/> Their faces were covered by cloths, some of which have distinct Persian motifs. A small funeral brick was placed to next to each body, on which was written the person’s name and other biographical information. These bricks have been incredibly useful for historians to date the tombs’ finds. There are also various Tang Dynasty figurines and silk paintings in graves.
The Astana Graves (Chinese: 阿斯塔那古墓, Pinyin: Āsītǎnà Gǔmù) are a series of underground tombs located 6km from the ancient city of Gaochang, and 42km from Turpan, in Xinjiang, China. The tombs were used by the inhabitants of Gaochang, both commoners and locals, for about 600 years from 200 CE – 800 CE.<br/><br/> The complex covers 10 square kilometres and contains over 1,000 tombs. Different plots for separate castes and families are marked by gravel dividers. Due to the arid environment many important artifacts have been well preserved at the tombs, including natural mummies.<br/><br/> A typical tomb is entered by a 10 metre sloping staircase. The tombs are not very large, usually only 2 metres high. Some tombs also have murals inside. The deceased were laid on a small raised platform in the back of the tomb, surrounded by possessions and even food.<br/><br/> Their faces were covered by cloths, some of which have distinct Persian motifs. A small funeral brick was placed to next to each body, on which was written the person’s name and other biographical information. These bricks have been incredibly useful for historians to date the tombs’ finds. There are also various Tang Dynasty figurines and silk paintings in graves.
The Astana Graves (Chinese: 阿斯塔那古墓, Pinyin: Āsītǎnà Gǔmù) are a series of underground tombs located 6km from the ancient city of Gaochang, and 42km from Turpan, in Xinjiang, China. The tombs were used by the inhabitants of Gaochang, both commoners and locals, for about 600 years from 200 CE – 800 CE.<br/><br/> The complex covers 10 square kilometres and contains over 1,000 tombs. Different plots for separate castes and families are marked by gravel dividers. Due to the arid environment many important artifacts have been well preserved at the tombs, including natural mummies.<br/><br/> A typical tomb is entered by a 10 metre sloping staircase. The tombs are not very large, usually only 2 metres high. Some tombs also have murals inside. The deceased were laid on a small raised platform in the back of the tomb, surrounded by possessions and even food.<br/><br/> Their faces were covered by cloths, some of which have distinct Persian motifs. A small funeral brick was placed to next to each body, on which was written the person’s name and other biographical information. These bricks have been incredibly useful for historians to date the tombs’ finds. There are also various Tang Dynasty figurines and silk paintings in graves.
The Astana Graves (Chinese: 阿斯塔那古墓, Pinyin: Āsītǎnà Gǔmù) are a series of underground tombs located 6km from the ancient city of Gaochang, and 42km from Turpan, in Xinjiang, China. The tombs were used by the inhabitants of Gaochang, both commoners and locals, for about 600 years from 200 CE – 800 CE.<br/><br/> The complex covers 10 square kilometres and contains over 1,000 tombs. Different plots for separate castes and families are marked by gravel dividers. Due to the arid environment many important artifacts have been well preserved at the tombs, including natural mummies.<br/><br/> A typical tomb is entered by a 10 metre sloping staircase. The tombs are not very large, usually only 2 metres high. Some tombs also have murals inside. The deceased were laid on a small raised platform in the back of the tomb, surrounded by possessions and even food.<br/><br/> Their faces were covered by cloths, some of which have distinct Persian motifs. A small funeral brick was placed to next to each body, on which was written the person’s name and other biographical information. These bricks have been incredibly useful for historians to date the tombs’ finds. There are also various Tang Dynasty figurines and silk paintings in graves.
The Astana Graves (Chinese: 阿斯塔那古墓, Pinyin: Āsītǎnà Gǔmù) are a series of underground tombs located 6km from the ancient city of Gaochang, and 42km from Turpan, in Xinjiang, China. The tombs were used by the inhabitants of Gaochang, both commoners and locals, for about 600 years from 200 CE – 800 CE.<br/><br/> The complex covers 10 square kilometres and contains over 1,000 tombs. Different plots for separate castes and families are marked by gravel dividers. Due to the arid environment many important artifacts have been well preserved at the tombs, including natural mummies.<br/><br/> A typical tomb is entered by a 10 metre sloping staircase. The tombs are not very large, usually only 2 metres high. Some tombs also have murals inside. The deceased were laid on a small raised platform in the back of the tomb, surrounded by possessions and even food.<br/><br/> Their faces were covered by cloths, some of which have distinct Persian motifs. A small funeral brick was placed next to each body, on which was written the person’s name and other biographical information. These bricks have been incredibly useful for historians to date the tombs’ finds. There are also various Tang Dynasty figurines and silk paintings in graves.
The Astana Graves (Chinese: 阿斯塔那古墓, Pinyin: Āsītǎnà Gǔmù) are a series of underground tombs located 6km from the ancient city of Gaochang, and 42km from Turpan, in Xinjiang, China. The tombs were used by the inhabitants of Gaochang, both commoners and locals, for about 600 years from 200 CE – 800 CE.<br/><br/> The complex covers 10 square kilometres and contains over 1,000 tombs. Different plots for separate castes and families are marked by gravel dividers. Due to the arid environment many important artifacts have been well preserved at the tombs, including natural mummies.<br/><br/> A typical tomb is entered by a 10 metre sloping staircase. The tombs are not very large, usually only 2 metres high. Some tombs also have murals inside. The deceased were laid on a small raised platform in the back of the tomb, surrounded by possessions and even food.<br/><br/> Their faces were covered by cloths, some of which have distinct Persian motifs. A small funeral brick was placed to next to each body, on which was written the person’s name and other biographical information. These bricks have been incredibly useful for historians to date the tombs’ finds. There are also various Tang Dynasty figurines and silk paintings in graves.
The Astana Graves (Chinese: 阿斯塔那古墓, Pinyin: Āsītǎnà Gǔmù) are a series of underground tombs located 6km from the ancient city of Gaochang, and 42km from Turpan, in Xinjiang, China. The tombs were used by the inhabitants of Gaochang, both commoners and locals, for about 600 years from 200 CE – 800 CE.<br/><br/> The complex covers 10 square kilometres and contains over 1,000 tombs. Different plots for separate castes and families are marked by gravel dividers. Due to the arid environment many important artifacts have been well preserved at the tombs, including natural mummies.<br/><br/> A typical tomb is entered by a 10 metre sloping staircase. The tombs are not very large, usually only 2 metres high. Some tombs also have murals inside. The deceased were laid on a small raised platform in the back of the tomb, surrounded by possessions and even food.<br/><br/> Their faces were covered by cloths, some of which have distinct Persian motifs. A small funeral brick was placed to next to each body, on which was written the person’s name and other biographical information. These bricks have been incredibly useful for historians to date the tombs’ finds. There are also various Tang Dynasty figurines and silk paintings in graves.
The Astana Graves (Chinese: 阿斯塔那古墓, Pinyin: Āsītǎnà Gǔmù) are a series of underground tombs located 6km from the ancient city of Gaochang, and 42km from Turpan, in Xinjiang, China. The tombs were used by the inhabitants of Gaochang, both commoners and locals, for about 600 years from 200 CE – 800 CE.<br/><br/> The complex covers 10 square kilometres and contains over 1,000 tombs. Different plots for separate castes and families are marked by gravel dividers. Due to the arid environment many important artifacts have been well preserved at the tombs, including natural mummies.<br/><br/> A typical tomb is entered by a 10 metre sloping staircase. The tombs are not very large, usually only 2 metres high. Some tombs also have murals inside. The deceased were laid on a small raised platform in the back of the tomb, surrounded by possessions and even food.<br/><br/> Their faces were covered by cloths, some of which have distinct Persian motifs. A small funeral brick was placed next to each body, on which was written the person’s name and other biographical information. These bricks have been incredibly useful for historians to date the tombs’ finds. There are also various Tang Dynasty figurines and silk paintings in graves.
Manichaeism was the most important Gnostic religion. Central in the Manichaean teaching was dualism, that the world itself, and all creatures, were part of a battle between the good, represented by God, and the bad, the darkness, represented by a power driven by envy and lust.<br/><br/> Manichaeism spread over most of the known world of the 1st millennium CE, from Spain to China. But the religion disappeared from the West in the 10th century, and from China in the 14th century. Today it is extinct.
The earliest mention of Kashgar occurs when a Chinese Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE) envoy traveled the Northern Silk Road to explore lands to the west.<br/><br/> Another early mention of Kashgar is during the Former Han (also known as the Western Han Dynasty), when in 76 BCE the Chinese conquered the Xiongnu, Yutian (Khotan), Sulei (Kashgar), and a group of states in the Tarim basin almost up to the foot of the Tian Shan mountains.<br/><br/> Ptolemy spoke of Scythia beyond the Imaus, which is in a 'Kasia Regio', probably exhibiting the name from which Kashgar is formed.<br/><br/> The country’s people practised Zoroastrianism and Buddhism before the coming of Islam. The celebrated Old Uighur prince Sultan Satuq Bughra Khan converted to Islam late in the 10th century and his Uighur kingdom lasted until 1120 but was distracted by complicated dynastic struggles.<br/><br/> The Uighurs employed an alphabet based upon the Syriac and borrowed from the Nestorian, but after converting to Islam widely used also an Arabic script. They spoke a dialect of Turkic preserved in the Kudatku Bilik, a moral treatise composed in 1065.
Manichaeism was the most important Gnostic religion. Central in the Manichaean teaching was dualism, that the world itself, and all creatures, were part of a battle between the good, represented by God, and the bad, the darkness, represented by a power driven by envy and lust.<br/><br/> Manichaeism spread over most of the known world of the 1st millennium CE, from Spain to China. But the religion disappeared from the West in 10th century, and from China in the 14th century. Today it is extinct.
Gaochang (Qara-hoja in Uyghur) is located in present-day Xinjiang Province, 30 km from Turpan. The site is also known in early published reports as Chotscho, Khocho, or Qočo. The archaeological remains are just outside the town at a place originally called Idykut-schari or Idikutschari by local residents.<br/><br/> Artistic monuments of the city have been published by Albert von Le Coq. Gaochang was built in the 1st century BCE, it was an important site along the Silk Road. It played a key role as a transportation hub in western China. There is some documented history surviving today, perhaps stories passed on through oral tradition exist to detail the history. It was burnt down in wars in the 14th century. Old palace ruins and inside and outside cities can still be seen today.
Paul Pelliot, French orientalist, archaeologist and Silk Road excavator, photographed by Charles Nouette sits with Yang Jinbang, the military mandarin of Hami and Liu Runtong, the civil mandarin of Hami, together with their escort. Like his contemporaries Sir Aurel Stein, Albert Von Le Coq, and others, Paul Pelliot (May 28, 1878–October 26, 1945) earned the continuing oppobrium of the Chinese for what is widely considered to have been the 'looting' of Chinese antiquities. He was, nevertheless, an outstanding Sinologist and scholar.
Manichaeism was one of the major Iranian Gnostic religions, originating in Sassanid Persia. Although most of the original writings of the founding prophet Mani (c. 216–276 CE) have been lost, numerous translations and fragmentary texts have survived.<br/><br/> Manichaeism taught an elaborate cosmology describing the struggle between a good, spiritual world of light, and an evil, material world of darkness. Through an ongoing process which takes place in human history, light is gradually removed from the world of matter and returned to the world of light from which it came. Its beliefs can be seen as a synthesis of Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Buddhism.<br/><br/> Manichaeism thrived between the third and seventh centuries, and at its height was one of the most widespread religions in the world. Manichaean churches and scriptures existed as far east as China and as far west as the Roman Empire. Manichaeism survived longer in the east, and appears to have finally faded away after the 14th century in southern China.
The Turpan Oasis was a strategically significant centre on Xinjiang’s Northern Silk Route, site of the ancient cities of Yarkhoto (Jiaohe) and Karakhoja (Gaochang). Chinese armies first entered Turpan in the 2nd century BCE, during the reign of Han Emperor Wu Di (141-87) when the oasis was a centre of Indo-European Tocharian culture.<br/><br/> Turpan retained a distinctly Buddhist character until the time of the Chagatai Khanate in the 13th century, when Islam gradually became the dominant religion.
From the Dutch brood, the German brot and the Frisian brea, the Old English bread is a food type popular around the world and as old as organised civilisation. It is the staple food in Europe and European-influenced cultures in the Americas, Africa and the Middle East, in contrast to the importance of rice in East and Southeast Asia.<br/><br/>Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
The Turpan Oasis was a strategically significant centre on Xinjiang’s Northern Silk Route, site of the ancient cities of Yarkhoto (Jiaohe) and Karakhoja (Gaochang). Chinese armies first entered Turpan in the 2nd century BCE, during the reign of Han Emperor Wu Di (141-87) when the oasis was a centre of Indo-European Tocharian culture.<br/><br/> Turpan retained a distinctly Buddhist character until the time of the Chagatai Khanate in the 13th century, when Islam gradually became the dominant religion.
Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
Around 840 AD a group of Turkic people known as the Uighur were displaced from their ancestral homelands in the Mongolian Steppe, and driven south by Kirghiz raiders. The Uighur moved into the Tarim Basin, settling in the old oasis cities of Kuqa and Aksu before gradually spreading around the rim of the Taklamakan Desert. Here they underwent an extraordinary transformation, changing from pastoral nomads to settled oasis dwellers and cultivators.
Gaochang (Qara-hoja in Uyghur) is located in present-day Xinjiang Province, 30 km from Turpan. The site is also known in early published reports as Chotscho, Khocho, or Qočo. The archaeological remains are just outside the town at a place originally called Idykut-schari or Idikutschari by local residents. Artistic monuments of the city have been published by Albert von Le Coq. Gaochang was built in the 1st century BCE, it was an important site along the Silk Road. It played a key role as a transportation hub in western China. There is some documented history surviving today, perhaps stories passed on through oral tradition exist to detail the history. It was burnt down in wars in the 14th century. Old palace ruins and inside and outside cities can still be seen today.
Manichaeism was one of the major Iranian Gnostic religions, originating in Sassanid Persia. Although most of the original writings of the founding prophet Mani (c. 216–276 CE) have been lost, numerous translations and fragmentary texts have survived.<br/><br/> Manichaeism taught an elaborate cosmology describing the struggle between a good, spiritual world of light, and an evil, material world of darkness. Through an ongoing process which takes place in human history, light is gradually removed from the world of matter and returned to the world of light from which it came. Its beliefs can be seen as a synthesis of Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Buddhism.<br/><br/> Manichaeism thrived between the third and seventh centuries, and at its height was one of the most widespread religions in the world. Manichaean churches and scriptures existed as far east as China and as far west as the Roman Empire. Manichaeism survived longer in the east, and appears to have finally faded away after the 14th century in southern China.<br/><br/>
Manichaeism was one of the major Iranian Gnostic religions, originating in Sassanid Persia. Although most of the original writings of the founding prophet Mani (c. 216–276 CE) have been lost, numerous translations and fragmentary texts have survived.<br/><br/> Manichaeism taught an elaborate cosmology describing the struggle between a good, spiritual world of light, and an evil, material world of darkness. Through an ongoing process which takes place in human history, light is gradually removed from the world of matter and returned to the world of light from which it came. Its beliefs can be seen as a synthesis of Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Buddhism.<br/><br/> Manichaeism thrived between the third and seventh centuries, and at its height was one of the most widespread religions in the world. Manichaean churches and scriptures existed as far east as China and as far west as the Roman Empire. Manichaeism survived longer in the east, and appears to have finally faded away after the 14th century in southern China.<br/><br/>
The Astana Graves (Chinese: 阿斯塔那古墓, Pinyin: Āsītǎnà Gǔmù) are a series of underground tombs located 6km from the ancient city of Gaochang, and 42km from Turpan, in Xinjiang, China. The tombs were used by the inhabitants of Gaochang, both commoners and locals, for about 600 years from 200 CE – 800 CE.<br/><br/> The complex covers 10 square kilometres and contains over 1,000 tombs. Different plots for separate castes and families are marked by gravel dividers. Due to the arid environment many important artifacts have been well preserved at the tombs, including natural mummies.<br/><br/> A typical tomb is entered by a 10 metre sloping staircase. The tombs are not very large, usually only 2 metres high. Some tombs also have murals inside. The deceased were laid on a small raised platform in the back of the tomb, surrounded by possessions and even food.<br/><br/> Their faces were covered by cloths, some of which have distinct Persian motifs. A small funeral brick was placed next to each body, on which was written the person’s name and other biographical information. These bricks have been incredibly useful for historians to date the tombs’ finds. There are also various Tang Dynasty figurines and silk paintings in graves.
The Astana Graves (Chinese: 阿斯塔那古墓, Pinyin: Āsītǎnà Gǔmù) are a series of underground tombs located 6km from the ancient city of Gaochang, and 42km from Turpan, in Xinjiang, China. The tombs were used by the inhabitants of Gaochang, both commoners and locals, for about 600 years from 200 CE – 800 CE.<br/><br/> The complex covers 10 square kilometres and contains over 1,000 tombs. Different plots for separate castes and families are marked by gravel dividers. Due to the arid environment many important artifacts have been well preserved at the tombs, including natural mummies.<br/><br/> A typical tomb is entered by a 10 metre sloping staircase. The tombs are not very large, usually only 2 metres high. Some tombs also have murals inside. The deceased were laid on a small raised platform in the back of the tomb, surrounded by possessions and even food.<br/><br/> Their faces were covered by cloths, some of which have distinct Persian motifs. A small funeral brick was placed to next to each body, on which was written the person’s name and other biographical information. These bricks have been incredibly useful for historians to date the tombs’ finds. There are also various Tang Dynasty figurines and silk paintings in graves.
The Astana Graves (Chinese: 阿斯塔那古墓, Pinyin: Āsītǎnà Gǔmù) are a series of underground tombs located 6km from the ancient city of Gaochang, and 42km from Turpan, in Xinjiang, China. The tombs were used by the inhabitants of Gaochang, both commoners and locals, for about 600 years from 200 CE – 800 CE.<br/><br/> The complex covers 10 square kilometres and contains over 1,000 tombs. Different plots for separate castes and families are marked by gravel dividers. Due to the arid environment many important artifacts have been well preserved at the tombs, including natural mummies.<br/><br/> A typical tomb is entered by a 10 metre sloping staircase. The tombs are not very large, usually only 2 metres high. Some tombs also have murals inside. The deceased were laid on a small raised platform in the back of the tomb, surrounded by possessions and even food.<br/><br/> Their faces were covered by cloths, some of which have distinct Persian motifs. A small funeral brick was placed to next to each body, on which was written the person’s name and other biographical information. These bricks have been incredibly useful for historians to date the tombs’ finds. There are also various Tang Dynasty figurines and silk paintings in graves.
Manichaeism was the most important Gnostic religion. Central in the Manichaean teaching was dualism, that the world itself, and all creatures, were part of a battle between the good, represented by God, and the bad, the darkness, represented by a power driven by envy and lust.<br/><br/> Manichaeism spread over most of the known world of the 1st millennium CE, from Spain to China. But the religion disappeared from the West in 10th century, and from China in the 14th century. Today it is extinct.