国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

' rooms ', many of which had probably been used as stables at one time or other, were filled with
refuse almost to the domed ceiling. This had obviously accumulated through big holes in the floors
of the rooms above and had reduced those below to the condition of dustbins. In many places
the same had in due course happened to rooms of the upper tier, and others had again been built
on the top. I could not have wished for a better illustration of the way in which those remarkable
refuse heaps excavated by me at the Mīrān fort in 1907 had gradually been formed within the
warren-like quarters of its Tibetan garrison of the 8th–9th century.⁴ Evidently there, too, the
construction of fresh mud hovels above was found to involve less effort than the clearing out of
steadily accumulating rubbish.

After leaving the fortified town, now deserted for the most part, by the track leading to Dast- Debris area
gird, we passed, over a distance of more than five miles, patches of intensive cultivation alternating near
with bare gravel ' Dasht ' and abandoned village sites of no great age. But close to the west of Khurumak.
the hamlet of Khurumak I was shown a debris area of the ' Tati ' type, fully half a mile square and
manifestly much older. It is known as Shahr-i-Raukān from another hamlet farther south.
Occasional finds of antiques here were acknowledged ; but I obtained none beyond fragments
of glazed and decorated pottery which could be picked up in abundance. The specimens described
in the List below, of which some are illustrated in Pl. XV, XVIII, seem to point to occupation of
the site down to late medieval times. It deserves to be noted that some of the pieces (Khu. 07, 16,
27, 31), as pointed out by Mr. Andrews, are probably of Chinese manufacture. A determination
of the approximate age of these may help towards dating the prevalent local ware.

The fine old ' Naib ' of the tract, Muḥammad Yūsūf Khān, who very hospitably received me Cause of
for the night in his defensible manor house, could give no definite reason for the extensive decay limited
of Tabbas. The fourteen Kārēzes now in use were said to yield sufficient water for the land actually cultivation.
under cultivation, and more could easily be constructed if only money enough were available for the
purpose. The unsettled condition of the country made it impossible to raise the necessary capital,
while the population, which had been kept down in the old days through the recurring Turkomān
raids, had not yet grown sufficiently to exert any pressure.

OBJECTS COLLECTED FROM DEBRIS AREA NEAR KHURUMAK, TABBAS

General Note.

All fragments except 036 are glazed. The body varies
in colour from light terra-cotta to pale buff or white.
Colours used in decoration are blue, green, and black.
Glaze varies from nearly white to green-blue. It is pro-
bable that some of the frs. are Chinese ; 027 and 031 seem
to be a true Chinese porcelain.

Khu. 01, 03, 04, 05, 06, 08, 015, 017, 018, 019–25, 028,
030, 032, 036, 037, 041, 047–9, 052. Frs. of blue
and white pottery. Body light buff ; granular glaze,
pale starch, greenish white and tones of ivory white,
mostly crackled but adhering well. Painted decorations
in various tones of blue, from strong ultramarine to dull
grey-blue. Outlines frequently in dark grey. Patterns
all fragmentary and generally floral. Perso-Chinese.
Annular lines appear at suitable places, such as round lip,
foot, or shoulder.
Glaze of 024+036, slightly ' lustred '. All pieces moder-
ately well executed. Gr. fr. (024) 4⅛″×1⅛″. Pl. CXVIII.

Khu. 02. Bronze disc, with scalloped edge. Diam. ½″.
Pl. CXVI.

Khu. 07, 016. Fr. of rim of pottery bowl (?), in
two pieces. Body porcellaneous frit, white, covered with
thin white glaze. Edge slightly scalloped. Painted in blue
with fine black outlines. Inside, a floral scroll, border in
white on blue ground, with paler blue outer bands ; below,
plain white. Outside, a broad border containing dragon
and clouds. Below, further pattern indicated. Probably
Chinese. 2⅛″×1⅛″×⅛″. Pl. CXVIII.

Khu. 026, 050, 053. Frs. from pottery vessels ; 026,
pale terra-cotta body with lighter unglazed slip outside,
and olive-green glaze inside. 050, buff body, with faint
traces of greenish glaze inside ; outside, thick dark tur-
quoise glaze, dull from weathering. 053, part of straight
rim of vessel glazed unevenly inside and out like 026. Edge
of rim unglazed. Av. size, 1⅛″×⅛″×⅜″.

Khu. 027. Fr. from rim of pottery vessel. Hard white
porcellaneous body. Thin, hard, starch-coloured glaze.