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0109 Innermost Asia : vol.2
極奥アジア : vol.2
Innermost Asia : vol.2 / 109 ページ(カラー画像)

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doi: 10.20676/00000187
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Sec. v]   WORK AT THE SITES OF MURTUK   633

SECTION V.—WORK AT THE SITES OF MURTUK

On December 9th I left Toyuk and proceeded past the oases of Su-bâshi and Sengim north First visit

of the outer hill range to the village of Murtuk (Map No. 28. c. 3). I had previously made a recon- to shrines of

Bezeklik.

naissance from Kara-khôja to the many cave-temples and shrines of Bezeklik, situated about two

miles below the southern end of the cultivated area of Murtuk, in the gorge which the stream flowing

towards Kara-khôja has here cut through the range. This visit had shown me that those shrines

still retained a great portion of their wall-paintings. But it had also afforded unmistakable evidence

of the increased damage which the pictorial remains of this, the largest of the Buddhist sites of

Turfân, had suffered from vandal hands since my first visit in November 1907. A year before

that, Professor Grünwedel had made a two months' stay at the site and devoted all his archaeological

care and expert iconographic knowledge to the complete excavation and study of its remains. For

the thoroughness with which he has recorded, in his Altbuddhistische Kultstätten, the results of

his prolonged labours at these ruined shrines, students of the ancient art of Chinese Turkestan

will for ever remain deeply indebted .1 Many of the most interesting specimens of the paintings

on the walls of the Bezeklik temples were then removed for safety to the Ethnographic Museum

of Berlin, as had been, two years earlier, the remarkably well preserved fresco panels of the shrine

which Professor von Lecoq had found filled with debris and had cleared before Professor Grün-

wedel's return to Turfân.2

With the sad proofs of progressive damage before my eyes, I could feel no doubt that, as local Arrange-

ments was out of the question, careful removal of as much of these mural paintings as circum- removing

for

p   q   p   g   removing

stances would permit and artistic or iconographic interest would warrant, offered the only means selected

of assuring their security. This was the important task which brought me now to Murtuk, and to frescoes.

which I devoted the greater part of two successive stays of an aggregate length of fifteen days. The safe and careful execution of the task was made far easier than it could possibly have been otherwise by the fact that all the remains of the Bezeklik site had previously been thoroughly investigated and described by Professor Grünwedel, whose familiarity with Buddhist iconography is exceptional. It was fortunate also that once the selection of fresco panels for removal had been decided by myself, their position and relation to the general decorative scheme, &c., carefully noted, and exact instructions given as to the lines along which the portions of larger frescoed surfaces were to be separated, I could safely leave the work of actual removal, strengthening, and safe packing of the fresco pieces to the hands of my two Indian assistants, whom previous training at other sites under my direction had qualified for the purpose.

It was mainly due to Naik Shamsuddin's skill and indefatigable industry, with the valiant Method of

assistance of Afrdz-gul during the greater part of nearly two months which the task occupied, removal.

that the removal and packing of all the selected fresco panels were safely accomplished, in strict accordance with the methods that I had first applied in the case of the frescoes of the Mirân temples.3 These technical methods proved equally successful in the case of the Bezeklik frescoes selected for removal. These in the end filled over a hundred large cases, each as heavy as a camel could carry. Considering that the work was carried out at the coldest season of the year and for the greater part without such assistance as my presence could have afforded as regards the supply of needful materials, labour, &c., my capable ` handy man ' may well claim special credit for this achievement.

1 See Grünwedel, Kultstätten, pp. 223-301, with Figs.   2 See Von Lecoq, Chotscho, Pl. 16-38, with explanatory

494-613, among which many carefully executed drawings of   text on the same.

specially interesting compositions, figures and decorative   3 Cf. Desert Cathay, i. pp. 463 sqq.
details.

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