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0201 On Ancient Central-Asian Tracks : vol.1
On Ancient Central-Asian Tracks : vol.1 / Page 201 (Color Image)

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doi: 10.20676/00000214
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number of observations made it appear *a priori* very prob-
able that here a site of considerable antiquity had after
abandonment been reoccupied, as I had noted before at
the site of Endere, between Niya and Charchan.

It seemed hard to leave behind such a promising site,
even for a time, without exhausting it. But a variety of
practical considerations, mainly connected with climatic
conditions, made the postponement imperative. And here
I may point out, by the way, that only by such carefully
planned adaptation to the widely different climatic con-
ditions prevailing in the various regions did it become
possible to extend our geographical and archæological
explorations over the vast areas covered by the surveys of
my second and third expeditions. So it came about that the
clearing of that desolate Tibetan stronghold could not be
resumed by us until my return from the absolute desert by
January 23, 1907. Camp was then pitched close under the
walls of the fort. But the hope that they would afford some
protection from the icy winds ever sweeping this desert
glacis of the mountains proved vain; so frequently they
veered round to catch us.

The ruined fort quite fulfilled the promise held out by
the first experimental digging. The rooms and half-under-
ground hovels which had sheltered its Tibetan garrison
during the eighth to the ninth century A.D. were rough
enough in design and construction, but proved to contain
in some respects the most remarkable refuse accumulations
it has ever fallen to my lot to clear. In the midst of incon-
ceivable dirt, sweepings from the hearth, litter of straw,
remnants of ragged clothing and broken implements, there
were to be picked up in plenty Tibetan documents on wood
I