The excavation of a Buddhist temple complex of the Qocho Uyghur kingdom in the middle of the west zone of the Tuyoq caves in Shanshan County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region
Abstract
In 2016, remains of a ground-level Buddhist temple complex were found in the middle of the west zone of the Tuyoq caves in Shanshan (Piqan) County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. This Buddhist temple complex consisted of the Buddha hall, dorms for monks, and storage facilities. In the Buddha hall, many murals of bodhisattvas, devas, and donors were found, and artifacts such as household utensils made of clay, wooden architectural components, textiles, and manuscript fragments were unearthed. The date of this Buddhist temple complex was the Qocho Uyghurs kingdom from the latter half of the tenth century to the latter half of the fourteenth century; the excavation is very important for understanding the distribution of the construction centers and the iconographical composition of the Buddhist cave temples and monasteries in the Qocho Uyghurs kingdom period.
Postscript
The original report published in Kaogu 考古(Archaeology) 2019.4:57–73 with 39 illustrations was authored by Lidong Xia 夏立栋, Yuqun Li 李裕群, Long Wang 王龙, and Hailong Zhang 张海龙. This abridged version is translated into English by Catrin Kost 金秋月.
References
Research Center for Frontier Archaeology, IA, CASS 中国社会科学院考古研究所边疆民族考古研究室 et al. 2012. 新疆鄯善县吐峪沟东区北侧石窟发掘简报 (The excavation of Buddhist caves in the north of the east zone at Tuyoq, Shanshan County, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region). Kaogu 考古(Archaeology) 1:7–16.Search in Google Scholar
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- New archaeological discoveries
- The Qingtang site in Yingde City, Guangdong Province
- The Wangjiabang cemetery of the Chenghe site of the Neolithic Age in Shayang County, Hubei Province
- The Lushanmao site of the Neolithic Age in Yan’an City, Shaanxi Province
- The Liujiawa site of the Rui state of the Eastern Zhou in Chengcheng County, Shaanxi Province
- The Chengba site in Quxian County, Sichuan Province
- The Taizicheng city site of the Jin dynasty in Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province
- Reports
- The excavation of Zone III of the Xiaonanshan site in Raohe County, Heilongjiang Province in 2015
- The excavation of tomb M2158 at the Hengshui cemetery of the Western Zhou dynasty in Jiangxian County, Shanxi Province
- The excavation of a Buddhist temple complex of the Qocho Uyghur kingdom in the middle of the west zone of the Tuyoq caves in Shanshan County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region
- Research
- On cupstones in South China
- Study on the burial practice of tomb M13 of the Yangshao culture at Baligang site in Dengzhou City
- On the source “composition” of the bronze vessels in the burials of the Yinxu site
- Shang dynasty bronzes and society in southern China: an illustration of complexity and diversity
- The unearthed bronze coin molds and the evolution of coin technology in the Warring States period and Qin-Han dynasties
- The “bowl-shaped” bloomeries of Pingnan County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the origins of “bowl-shaped” bloomery in China
- On the early lokapāla statues in the Buddhist sculptures unearthed in Chengdu
- The Shangjing norm of the Liao dynasty and the Dongjing mode of the Northern Song dynasty
- Identification of domestic chicken bones in archaeological sites
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- New archaeological discoveries
- The Qingtang site in Yingde City, Guangdong Province
- The Wangjiabang cemetery of the Chenghe site of the Neolithic Age in Shayang County, Hubei Province
- The Lushanmao site of the Neolithic Age in Yan’an City, Shaanxi Province
- The Liujiawa site of the Rui state of the Eastern Zhou in Chengcheng County, Shaanxi Province
- The Chengba site in Quxian County, Sichuan Province
- The Taizicheng city site of the Jin dynasty in Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province
- Reports
- The excavation of Zone III of the Xiaonanshan site in Raohe County, Heilongjiang Province in 2015
- The excavation of tomb M2158 at the Hengshui cemetery of the Western Zhou dynasty in Jiangxian County, Shanxi Province
- The excavation of a Buddhist temple complex of the Qocho Uyghur kingdom in the middle of the west zone of the Tuyoq caves in Shanshan County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region
- Research
- On cupstones in South China
- Study on the burial practice of tomb M13 of the Yangshao culture at Baligang site in Dengzhou City
- On the source “composition” of the bronze vessels in the burials of the Yinxu site
- Shang dynasty bronzes and society in southern China: an illustration of complexity and diversity
- The unearthed bronze coin molds and the evolution of coin technology in the Warring States period and Qin-Han dynasties
- The “bowl-shaped” bloomeries of Pingnan County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the origins of “bowl-shaped” bloomery in China
- On the early lokapāla statues in the Buddhist sculptures unearthed in Chengdu
- The Shangjing norm of the Liao dynasty and the Dongjing mode of the Northern Song dynasty
- Identification of domestic chicken bones in archaeological sites
