Great Gobi: The Mystery of the Rise and Fall of an Ancient Western City

Author: Tian Weijiang / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-12-01
Features: This script is written horizontally from right to left, resembling tadpoles. It may have been introduced to the southern oases of the Tarim Basin from the northwest of ancient India around the 1st century. Relics of Kharosthi script have been found in areas from Hetian to the western shore of Lop Nur, including common wooden slips, parchment scrolls, and manuscripts on birch bark. There is also a type of Han-Kharosthi bilingual coin called the "Hetian Horse Coin," issued by the Kingdom of Khotan during the same period. On the obverse of this circular coin, an image of a horse or camel is impressed, surrounded by Kharosthi inscriptions: "Great King, King of Kings, the Great One." The reverse of the coin usually bears Chinese inscriptions indicating its weight, but some coins may have inscriptions similar to "King of Khotan." However, Kharosthi script was primarily used in Shanshan (modern-day Ruqiang), as evidenced by thousands of documents written in this script discovered at the Niya site. The Kharosthi documents unearthed at Niya are mostly wooden slips, which are cut into different shapes and inscribed with text, with only a small number (about 25) written on leather. At Niya, wooden slips of different shapes had varying contents: royal decrees were written on wedge-shaped slips, which consist of two parts joined together, with three grooves carved near the center of the slip and a rectangular depression in the middle of the upper part. After writing, the two parts were tied together with a seal cord, and clay was pressed into the depression, sealed with an official seal, and the upper part was inscribed with the recipient's name and the subject—thus completing the decree. In Kharosthi documents, this type of slip has a specific name: mahanuavamaharayalihati ("Great King's Decree"). In addition to the wedge-shaped slips used by the king, there are about six other types in terms of shape: rectangular, rectangular, cylindrical, "label-shaped," Takht, and miscellaneous. The Takht shape is a wooden board with a handle, possibly derived from Indian writing methods. Rectangular slips are also double-sided, similar to wedge-shaped slips, and have the same sealing mechanism, as their content primarily deals with legal matters—such as contracts. The capital of the kingdom was built in the southwest of Lop Nur, at the foot of the Altun Mountains. This endless mountain range is the edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, with its valleys preserving several lesser-known natural passages connecting the basin and the plateau. During the medieval or even earlier periods, tribes living between the mountains and plateau—Qiang, Tibetans, Tuyuhun, and the mysterious tribe repeatedly mentioned in Kharosthi documents, the Supi (Supei)—could easily enter the Tarim Basin, raiding villages and towns or occupying them. The Tibetans established military posts in areas like (Milan) and the Andir River, leaving traces of their castles and farmlands in Milan. From the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty, the Tibetans continuously contested control over the Tarim Basin and the Pamir Plateau with the Tang Dynasty, becoming a formidable rival. However, during the time of the Jushi people, these later powerful tribes had not yet risen. In addition to the disturbances caused by the Supi, the King of Shanshan frequently reminded officials in the western frontier state of Jiedu: "If there is any news from Shuji and Khotan, you should report it to me." It seems their relationship was often tense. The inhabitants of the Niya River delta initially settled in the northern part of the delta—the northern areas of the Niya site. They may have migrated from an even older delta to the north of the current delta, though this is speculation, as little evidence of their origins has been found. Without extraordinary events—such as catastrophic massacres or plagues—people would normally migrate along river channels, often due to shortened river courses, changes in direction, or ecological degradation making the old delta uninhabitable. The land was fertile, covered with dense forests of poplar, tamarisk, and apricot trees, with reeds and other grasses growing in the low-lying areas. The river flowed very slowly, and through the branches of the trees, one could glimpse the shadows of sand dunes far in the distance, marking the edge of the oasis. This landscape, as seen in the modern delta of the Niya River near the village of Kabakas Khan, appears even more spectacular. Many unnamed animals roamed the forests and reeds, though they are not mentioned in preserved documents. The time of this migration is assumed to be the 3rd century BCE, as when Zhang Qian passed through the Tarim Basin in the following century, he found human settlements in most of the major river oases. In the Niya River delta, there were about several thousand people. They spoke a language that is still uncertain, but "Cad’Ota" ("Jiedu") may have been their name for the oasis they inhabited, translated as "Jushi" in the Western Regions Biography compiled by Ban Gu, who referred to their political system as the "Kingdom of Jushi" and their ruler as the "Qa." However, it should be noted that the population statistics and social-political conditions reported in the Western Regions Biography are difficult to attribute to a specific period. The residence of the Jushi king—if we can call it that—was built in the northern area, possibly due to its flatter and more open terrain. The so-called "palace" was merely a larger and more upscale private home. Surrounding and south of the royal residence, people chose several areas to settle based on the river's flow and terrain. They cultivated land around their houses and raised various animals, forming their basic economic structure. How did the ancient Niya people build their homes and courtyards? The locally abundant poplar, tamarisk, reeds, and rush were the main building materials. However, clay was scarce, so people made the most of trees and grasses. This was also the reason for the lack of clay-based construction. Generally, after selecting a site, a rough plan was made before construction began, with materials prepared in advance. First, a large "hall" was built as the main room, directly accessible and similar to a "main hall," with a fire pit in the center. The roof above the fire pit had a large wooden-framed window, called a takht, supported by wooden pillars on the ground. This window was intricately carved into a "pavilion" shape. In fact, in the language of the modern residents of the Keriya River delta, this window is called an "iwan." In this large hall, except for the wall with the main door, platforms made of clay were built along the other three walls, similar to kang beds, covered with colorful felt. One can imagine how pleasant it would be to sit or sleep on such a spacious platform. If you were invited to "enter the hall" in Jushi, you would find additional doors on the other walls. If you were invited or curious to enter, you would find yourself like being in a maze, having actually "entered the room."