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 -
| 0541 |
Ruins of Desert Cathay : vol.2 |
Citation Information
OCR Text
us to the farm of Besh-tam, with the last patches of
Karez-cultivation. Beyond we came upon fields long
abandoned, and then upon a shallow bed in which the
water of the Lukchun canals, when left unused in the
winter, endeavours to make its way down to the terminal
lake bed. During the spring and summer, what with
evaporation and absorption in the soil, not a drop of water
would reach this point. Across this temporary overflow-bed
there extended a wide sandy plain, with plentiful thorny
scrub growing amidst rudimentary dunes; where the
ground was left clear of drift sand the erosive action
of the winds, here chiefly from west to east, had com-
menced to furrow small trenches and Yardangs.
To me it seemed but a petty desert, and I was rather
surprised when less than four miles of it sufficed to bring
us to the ruins of ‘Chong-Hassar,’ which the Lukchun
people had declared to be a place very trying to stay at.
The remains of the fortified townlet or village I found
there exhibited several typical features of Turfan sites.
Within an irregular oblong, about 140 yards from east to
west, and about 100 yards at its widest, there was a perfect
rabbit warren of small vaulted chambers and casemates
crowded against the enclosing rampart (Fig. 260). Massive
masonry abounded, and the débris of sun-dried bricks
choked the rooms often to their vaulting. In places the
chambers had been built in irregular tiers one above the
other. It was not difficult to realize from what I saw in
the extant towns and villages, that this peculiar construc-
tion was needed for protection from the excessive heat of
the summer and the violence of the dreaded winds of the
spring. Extremely massive construction with walls up
to seven feet thick characterized also a large vaulted pile
rising like a keep in one corner of what looked an
inner fort.
To clear the whole of these vaults and cellars would
have cost many weeks of labour. So I was not surprised
to find that the digging done during the flying visit paid
to the site by one of the German expeditions was confined
to a partial clearing of the cella of a small Buddhist shrine
which could readily be distinguished near the west wall of
1
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
12
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
22
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
32
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
43
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
53
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
67
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
78
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
89
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
100
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
110
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
120
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
131
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
142
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
155
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
166
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
178
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
188
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
199
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
210
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
220
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
231
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
245
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
256
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
268
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
279
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
293
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
308
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
319
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
332
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
345
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
359
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
370
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
382
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
395
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
407
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
419
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
431
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
442
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
453
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
465
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
478
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
491
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
505
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
518
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
529
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
539
540
541
542
543
.
|
.
.
.
.
553
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
567
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
581
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
594
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
605
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
617
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
629
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
642
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
657
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
670
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
683
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
696
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
709
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
723
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
736
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
749
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
760
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
771
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
783
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
793
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
803
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
813
814
Copyright (C) 2003-2026
National Institute of Informatics
and
The Toyo Bunko. All Rights Reserved.
