Domoko

Last updated March 25, 2019

Domoko is a ruined village site^[1] (known as Old Domoko) located in the eastern region of the Khotan oasis in China, about 20 kilometers north the Domoko administrative center,^[2] on the southern arm of the Silk Road. The site is located in the Xinjiang autonomous region.

China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia and the world's most populous country, with a population of around 1.404 billion. Covering approximately 9,600,000 square kilometers (3,700,000 sq mi), it is the third- or fourth-largest country by total area. Governed by the Communist Party of China, the state exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four direct-controlled municipalities, and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.

The Silk Road was an ancient network of trade routes that connected the East and West. It was central to cultural interaction between the regions for many centuries. The Silk Road primarily refers to the terrestrial routes connecting East Asia and Southeast Asia with East Africa, West Asia and Southern Europe.

Xinjiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is a provincial-level autonomous region of China in the northwest of the country. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and the eighth largest country subdivision in the world, spanning over 1.6 million km². Xinjiang contains the disputed territory of Aksai Chin, which is administered by China and claimed by India. Xinjiang borders the countries of Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan (Gilgit-Baltistan), and India. The rugged Karakoram, Kunlun, and Tian Shan mountain ranges occupy much of Xinjiang's borders, as well as its western and southern regions. Xinjiang also borders Tibet Autonomous Region and the provinces of Gansu and Qinghai. The most well-known route of the historical Silk Road ran through the territory from the east to its northwestern border. In recent decades, abundant oil and mineral reserves have been found in Xinjiang, and it is currently China's largest natural gas-producing region.

Archaeology

Domoko was explored by Sir Aurel Stein in 1906 on his first Central Asia expedition.^[3] Stein found an abandoned village and described the archaeological remains and conservation conditions of the buildings:

Sir Marc Aurel Stein, (Hungarian: Stein Márk Aurél; 26 November 1862 – 26 October 1943) was a Hungarian-born British archaeologist, primarily known for his explorations and archaeological discoveries in Central Asia. He was also a professor at Indian universities.

Here we had reached the southern edge of 'old Domoko', an area covered with the remains of a deserted village group. The crumbling ruins of mud-built dwellings, constructed and arranged exactly as in the now inhabited villages of this tract and forming detached groups, seemed to extend, together with the interspersed orchards, cemeteries and fields, for about three miles from east to west. Going towards the north-west we kept between them for nearly three miles. The mud-walls, strengthened by the insertion of vertical bundles of Kumush, still rose often 4 to 5 ft. above the ground, and the massive fireplaces were intact even to a greater height […] The deserted homesteads had been stripped of all materials that could be of use, such as beams, wooden doorposts, &c. As scarcely any sand had accumulated about the crumbling ruins, their rapid and complete disappearance seemed inevitable as soon as erosion set in.^[4]
— Aurel Stein, Ancient Khotan: Vol. I p. 458

Excavations were apparently "rushed" as Stein was keen to return to Niya, a site where he was carrying out more thorough excavations.^[3]

Art and Artefacts

The finds from Domoko appear to have consisted primarily of wooden panels, located in the ruins of a sanctuary near the oasis.^[5] The rectangular panels were painted with images of Buddha, Bodhisattvas and various other Buddhist-Hindu deities.^[6] One of key points of interest relating to the Silk Roads is the exchange of ideas, particularly in regards to technology and religion. Some of the most significant finds have been those related to the development and expansion of Buddhism in China. The most famous examples are the silk paintings and scrolls found at Dunhuang and given to the British Museum by Aurel Stein.

Buddhism is the world's fourth-largest religion with over 520 million followers, or over 7% of the global population, known as Buddhists. Buddhism encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices largely based on original teachings attributed to the Buddha and resulting interpreted philosophies. Buddhism originated in ancient India as a Sramana tradition sometime between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE, spreading through much of Asia. Two major extant branches of Buddhism are generally recognized by scholars: Theravada and Mahayana.

Dunhuang County-level city in Gansu, Peoples Republic of China

Dunhuang is a county-level city in northwestern Gansu Province, Western China. The 2000 Chinese census reported a population of 187,578 in this city. Dunhuang was a major stop on the ancient Silk Road and is best known for the nearby Mogao Caves. It has also been known at times as Shazhou and, in Uyghur, Dukhan.

Oases and UNESCO

More recently the oases of the Silk Road have re-entered archaeological discourse. As UNESCO tries to incorporate a more diverse range of sites into its 'World Heritage' portfolio, the concept of 'serial nominations' has emerged. The oases positioned along the Silk Road were pivotal to its existence, providing fresh supplies and diverse markets to the trading caravans. Nominations for the sites that made up the 'Silk Road's Oasis Route in China' are now being identified, and will make up a part of the far more extensive serial nomination, the aim of which is to include key sites across the entire Silk Road route.^[7]

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) based in Paris. Its declared purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through educational, scientific, and cultural reforms in order to increase universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and human rights along with fundamental freedom proclaimed in the United Nations Charter. It is the successor of the League of Nations' International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation.

A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area which is selected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as having cultural, historical, scientific or other form of significance, and is legally protected by international treaties. The sites are judged important to the collective interests of humanity.

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The Taklamakan Desert, also spelled "Taklimakan" and "Teklimakan", is a desert in southwest Xinjiang in Northwest China. It is bounded by the Kunlun Mountains to the south, the Pamir Mountains and Tian Shan to the west and north, and the Gobi Desert to the east.

Hotan, is a major oasis town in southwestern Xinjiang, an autonomous region in western China. The city proper of Hotan broke off from the larger Hotan County to become an administrative area in its own right in August 1984. It is the seat of Hotan Prefecture.

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The concept of the Silk Road has fascinated Europeans for more than a century, symbolizing the exchange between the West and the East since Antiquity. However, the issue of what route was followed by it was not an easy one to resolve. The first person to explore this in detail was Aurel Stein, coming from the west through Kashgar and entering the Taklamakan desert in September 1900, before heading south to Khotan on his first expedition to Serindia. Stein was to come back several times, extending his research area to increase the known sites along the Silk Road in this region.

References

↑ "Stein Placename Database" . Retrieved 25 October 2012.
↑ "Encyclopedia Iranica" . Retrieved 25 October 2012.
1 2 Escauriaza-Lopez, Valencia. Aurel Stein's Methods and Aims in Archaeology on the Silk Road (PDF).
↑ "Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books". National Institute of Informatics. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
↑ Boulnois, Luce (2003). On the Road: Monks, Warriors and Merchants on the Silk Road. p. 184.
↑ Bhattachrya, Chhaya (1977). Art of Central Asia, with special reference to wooden objects from the Northern Silk Road. p. 30.
↑ van Oers, Ron (2004). "Nomination of the Silk Road in China to UNESCO's World Heritage List: Proposals for a Strategic Approach and Reference Framework for Heritage Routes": 62–71.

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[Domoko-1] "Stein Placename Database" . Retrieved 25 October 2012.

[Dumaqu-2] "Encyclopedia Iranica" . Retrieved 25 October 2012.

[Escauriaza-Lopez-3] 1 2 Escauriaza-Lopez, Valencia. Aurel Stein's Methods and Aims in Archaeology on the Silk Road (PDF).

[Ancient_Khotan-4] "Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books". National Institute of Informatics. Retrieved 25 October 2012.

[5] Boulnois, Luce (2003). On the Road: Monks, Warriors and Merchants on the Silk Road. p. 184.

[6] Bhattachrya, Chhaya (1977). Art of Central Asia, with special reference to wooden objects from the Northern Silk Road. p. 30.

[7] van Oers, Ron (2004). "Nomination of the Silk Road in China to UNESCO's World Heritage List: Proposals for a Strategic Approach and Reference Framework for Heritage Routes": 62–71.