Database of Silk Road Ruins

高昌国の貴族の墓地。／トルファン市街の南東約36キロメーターのところにある高昌国住民と唐代西州住民の墓地郡。墓室からは大量の木製人形、陶器、文書や壁画などが良い状態で保存されていた。高熱と乾燥の気候により、すべての出土品に当時の鮮やかな色彩が残存している。ほとんどの墓が盗掘されておらず、完全な形をとどめたミイラが現存されている。すべての墓が地上の低い盛山、斜めの参道と地中にある墓室から構成されており、平面的には『甲』の字形をしている。見学可能な墳墓は3基。出土資料の年代より、墳墓は273年～778年のものとされる。 / The cemetery for Noble citizen of Gaocheng Kingdom. / The Astana-Karakhoja Ancient Tombs are situated about 6 km from the ancient city of Gaochang, also 40 km southeast of Turfan. Astana means ｡ﾈcapital｡ﾉ or "place for rest" in Uygur. The Astana-Karakhoja Ancient Tombs Known as "The Underground Museum", it provides some very valuable and fascinating artifacts such as tomb figures of wood, wall paint, ceramics, documents and silk which were as well-preserved and as colorful as new ones by the hot and dry atmosphere. Almost none of the corpses in the more than five hundred tombs have rotted; instead they have become complete and intact dried-up bodies. Most of those buried here were people of the Han nationality, but there are also some minority nationalities, as well as nobles, officials and others from the period beginning in the Western Jin and ending in the middle of the Tang Dynasty. According to the documentation buried with them, the era must have been between 273 and 778. The outsides of the tombs are shaped like small low hills, sloping down towards to the grave room! s. The tomb design appears from the sky to be like a "Jia" shape of Chinese character. Three tombs among them are open to visitors.