National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books
|
|
Color Thumbnail -
Table of Contents -
Page Number -
Biliographic Information (Metadata) -
Caption -
Color Image -
Gray HighRes. Image -
Facing Pages -
Graphics -
| 0547 |
Innermost Asia : vol.1 |
Citation Information
OCR Text
CHAPTER XIII
THE ETSIN-GOL DELTA AND THE RUINS OF KHARA-KHOTO
Section I.—The Lower Etsin-gol and its Terminal Basin
My journey down the Etsin-gol was prompted by a twofold interest, geographical and Interest of
archaeological. The latter made me eager to visit the ruined site of Khara-khoto in the Etsin-gol Khara-
delta, where Colonel Kozlov, the distinguished Russian explorer, had in 1908 been fortunate enough khoto
to make important finds of manuscripts and other remains. Available information indicated that site.
these dated mainly from the period when this ground, together with the greater part of Kan-su,
was included in the dominion which the Tangut, a race of Tibetan affinity, under a dynasty known
to the Chinese by the name of Hsi-hsia,¹ maintained from the early eleventh century until the
conquest of their territory by the Mongols two centuries later.
But antiquarian interest attached to the Etsin-gol valley also on account of its earlier history. Inroads
Considering its position and the facilities it must at all times have offered for nomadic inroads from along Etsin-
the north, it can scarcely be doubted that just as Chingiz Khān's Mongols advanced by this route gol valley.
to the final conquest of the Tangut kingdom in A. D. 1225, so those earlier northern rulers of the
Kan-su marches whom history knows—the Great Yüeh-chih, destined to become later the Indo-
Scythian rulers of north-western India ; the Hsiung-nu or Huns who drove them westwards in
the early part of the second century B. C. ; and the Uighur Turks who preceded the Tanguts—
had all passed along this natural highway and held its grazing grounds, while their power lasted.
We shall see farther on how this role of the Etsin-gol valley is duly reflected in the noteworthy
record left by Marco Polo of the route leading past his 'City of Etzina', which has proved to be
no other than Khara-khoto.²
Equally interesting to me were the geographical aspects of this region. The essential parallelism Geographic
of the chief natural features led me to hope that the descent of the Etsin-gol to its delta might interest
furnish useful observations for comparison on the one hand with the physical conditions presented of lower
by the lower course and terminal basin of the Su-lo-ho, and on the other with those which my Etsin-gol.
explorations suggest as having once prevailed in the delta of the 'Dry River' of Lou-lan, when the
ancient Chinese highway into the Tārim basin still passed through it.
It was this special geographical interest that my journey down the Etsin-gol allowed me first
to satisfy. And as the observations then made will also help to throw light on certain questions
arising in connexion with the remains of the Khara-khoto site and its neighbourhood, a brief
record of them may suitably precede the account of the archaeological results there secured. In
offering this record as a supplement to what can be gathered from Maps Nos. 44, 45 illustrating
our surveys, I must express my regret that I have been unable to consult such descriptive materials
as may be furnished by the Russian publications of the distinguished travellers who preceded me
1
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
11
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
21
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
31
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
41
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
51
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
61
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
73
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
85
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
97
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
107
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
118
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
129
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
139
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
150
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
161
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
173
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
183
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
193
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
203
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
213
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
223
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
233
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
243
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
255
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
265
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
277
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
288
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
298
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
308
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
318
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
329
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
339
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
349
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
359
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
369
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
379
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
389
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
399
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
411
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
421
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
432
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
443
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
453
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
463
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
473
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
483
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
494
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
504
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
515
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
525
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
536
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
545
546
547
548
549
.
|
.
.
.
.
556
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
566
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
577
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
587
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
597
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
607
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
617
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
627
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
637
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
647
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
657
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
667
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
677
.
.
.
.
|
.
684
Copyright (C) 2003-2026
National Institute of Informatics
and
The Toyo Bunko. All Rights Reserved.
