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 -
| 0378 |
Sand-Buried Ruins of Khotan : vol.1 |
Citation Information
OCR Text
On the morning of the 4th of January I paid off and dismissed
to Tawakkel a portion of my little force of labourers who had
worked so valiantly. With the rest I set out to the north, and
after a march of about seven miles across gradually rising sand-
ridges reached again ground where broken pottery between the
dunes indicated the former existence of habitations. We halted
at a spot between deeply eroded banks of loess, where Kasim's
party eighteen days before had camped and found water. But the
well would yield no water now, as the ground was frozen quite
hard, and when at last water was reached by fresh digging it
proved even more brackish than that we had to drink at Dandan-
Uiliq.
Though Turdi had not visited the place for nine years he
guided me on the next day without hesitation to where behind
a long-stretching ridge of sand, some 60 ft. high, the ruins
were situated. They proved to consist mainly of two much-
decayed mounds, lying quite close together, composed of fairly
hard sun-dried bricks, probably the remains of small Stupas.
They had evidently been dug into repeatedly and had suffered
badly; but in the case of the larger one it was still possible to
make out what looked like a circular base about 32 ft. in
diameter. From among the small débris of ancient pottery,
broken glass, &c., strewn over the ground near the mounds I
picked up a fragment of remarkably hard stucco on which the
practised eye of Turdi at once discovered traces of a thin gold-
layer. Judging from its shape this stucco piece is likely to have
belonged to a statue that had once been fully gilded.
Old Chinese coins without legend, as issued under the Han
dynasty, also turned up at various places among the pottery débris
which covered the low ground between the dunes. As the latter rise
here to heights over 25 ft. and are proportionately large, it was
scarcely surprising that we could trace the ruins of only one house
built with timber. Its walls had decayed by erosion to within a
few feet of the ground, and the high dune rising immediately above
it made it impossible to clear more than a single room. Within
1
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
12
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
22
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
32
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
42
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
52
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
62
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
72
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
82
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
92
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
102
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
112
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
122
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
132
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
142
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
152
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
162
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
172
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
182
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
192
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
202
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
212
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
222
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
232
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
242
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
252
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
262
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
272
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
282
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
292
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
302
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
312
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
322
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
332
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
342
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
352
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
362
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
372
.
.
.
376
377
378
379
380
.
382
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
392
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
402
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
412
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
422
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
432
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
442
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
452
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
462
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
472
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
482
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
492
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
502
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
512
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
522
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
532
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
542
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
552
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
563
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
573
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
582
Copyright (C) 2003-2026
National Institute of Informatics
and
The Toyo Bunko. All Rights Reserved.
