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

In the same work it is said that south of the town of Keriya a road crosses
the Keriya mountains, going to Tibet. Further on, and according to the *Si-Tsang-
tshi* or Description of Tibet the road is described more in detail. Going straight
northwards from Lhasa one arrives in 24 days at Nak-thshan and thence in another
15 days at Shulungshan, after which it is 18 days to Keriya. The same road is
also indicated in the *I-thung-yü-thu*, at least from Mar-yang-mum-dur, where it
branches off from the Shigatse-Koko-nor road. Himly gives the situation of Mar-
yang-mum-dur as 30° 54′ N. and 26° 6′ W. from Peking. The indication of the di-
rection to the north from Lhasa must, as Himly suggests, depend on Nak-thshang
(Naktsang) being confused with Nag-tshu-kha or »the Mouth of the Black Water»,
which is situated on the road to Koko-nor. Otherwise the northern direction should
only refer to the part of the road which accompanies the western shore of Tengri-
nor after which it takes a more westerly direction to Naktsang. In this case the
Nak-thshang of *Si-yü-shui-tao-ki* should be identical with the Nag-tsang which, ac-
cording to the I-thung-yü-thu, is situated on the road to Keldiya or Keriya. Nak-
thshang is placed at about 32° 52′ N., and 28° 24′ W. from Peking, and N.W. of
Altan-nor or Gold Lake in Mongolia. Shulungshar corresponds to the Shulunshala
of the *I-thung-yü-thu* and is placed at 33° 25′ N., 29° 40′ W. A special sign shows
that Shulunshala was even provided with a watch-post. Further west the road takes
a more northerly direction crossing the Thshakartu-tsaghan-ussu and a nameless
watercourse joining it from the west. Still further north the road crosses the frontier
of Tibet at Sali (Sari), and makes a tremendous bend to the east, round a mountain
and two lakes. One of these lakes is called Ghashon-nor or »Salt Lake», and
north of it the road crosses now in a westerly direction a north-going watercourse,
and then the Shadutu-dabaghan or »Ladder-Pass». There the road touches a group
of small lakes and reaches Eastern Turkestan *via* Suget.

According to the *Si-Tsang-tshi* there is a road from Rudok in Ngari to Yar-
kand, 15 days long.

This description of the old road is so clear and positive that its existence in
those days cannot be doubted. But now it is quite forgotten both in Tibet and
Eastern Turkestan. It is entered on Klaproth's map where it agrees in every detail
with the translation given by Himly. It was of course impossible for Klaproth to
tell anything more of this old road than what he found in the Chinese works. And,
curiously enough, even to us, some 80 years later, it is impossible to add anything
beyond what Klaproth knew. For the road is fallen into oblivion, and all the names
it has are Mongolian, not Tibetan. In many respects, especially regarding the Nien-
chen-tang-la his Niantsin tangla gangri, he was far in front of his time. Several
decennia should pass before the journeys of the Pundits proved the existence of this
range. And still, 60 years before Littledale discovered the Goring-la (19 587 feet),
Klaproth has entered a M. Gouring-la on his map, situated S.W. of the glacier-
massive of Nien-chen-tang-la. And when, in 1908, I received information about the