Sabao

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The Sogdian Sabao An Jia on his horse, as he appears in one of the panels of his tomb. 579 CE The Sogdian An Jia (contoured).jpg
The Sogdian Sabao An Jia on his horse, as he appears in one of the panels of his tomb. 579 CE

Sabao (薩保, Sàbǎo, "Protector, Guardian") was an official Chinese title in the 5th-7th centuries CE, used for government-appointed leaders of the Sogdian immigrant-merchant community. [1] The word sabao is derived from the Sogdian word s’rtp’w, "caravan leader". [1] Sabaos also often had titles of "Prefects", with regional responsibilities, in the Chinese administration : An Jia was Sabao and Grand Governor (大都督, Dàdūdū) of Tong Prefecture.

They were in charge of commercial affairs for foreign merchants from Middle Asia doing businesses in China, as well as Zoroastrian affairs. Various Sabaos are known from their epitaphs, such as An Jia, Wirkak or Yu Hong. [2] [3]

The tombs of the Sabaos in China are among the most lavish of the period in this country, and are only slightly inferior to Imperial tombs, suggesting that they were among the wealthiest members of the population. [4]

Tombs of Sabaos

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Tomb of Wirkak

The Tomb of Wirkak (Sogdian: wyrkʾk), in Chinese commonly referred to as Tomb of Master Shi (Chinese: 史君墓; pinyin: Shǐ Jūn Mù; Wade–Giles: Shih3-Chün1 Mu4), is the grave of the Sogdian Sabao (Chinese: 薩保, "Protector, Guardian", derived from the Sogdian word s’rtp’w, "caravan leader") Wirkak and his wife Wiyusi, dating from 580 AD (Northern Zhou dynasty). The tomb was discovered in 2003 in the east of Jingshang village in Daminggong township, Weiyang District, Xi'an, and excavated between June and October in the same year. It is especially significant for the rich content of the reliefs on the stone structure contained in the tomb and a bilingual epitaph. Sogdian tombs in China are among the most lavish of the period in this country, and are only slightly inferior to Imperial tombs, suggesting that the Sogdian Sabao were among the wealthiest members of the population.

Penjikent murals

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Tomb of An Jia

The Tomb of Ān Jiā, also sometimes read Ān Qié, is a Northern Zhou period funeral monument to a Sogdian nobleman named "Anjia" in the Chinese epitaph. The tomb was excavated in the city of Xi'an. It is now located in the collections of the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology. An Jia (安伽) died in the founding year of the Daxiang (大象) era, during the reign of Emperor Jing.

Anyang funerary bed

The Anyang funerary bed, also known locally as the Bed of Ts'ao Ts'ao, is a Chinese funerary couch belonging to a Sogdian merchant and official active in China in the 6th century CE. The tomb was discovered in 1911, and the components of the funerary bed were dispersed among various museums in the world after being offered on the art market. It is thought the funerary bed was excavated in Anyang, capital of the Northern Qi dynasty. It is stylically dated to the Northern Qi dynasty.

Miho funerary couch

The Miho funerary couch is a Northern Dynasties period funeral monument to a Sogdian nobleman and official in northern China. The tomb is now located in the collections of the Miho Museum. Its structure is similar to that of the Anyang funerary bed. It has been dated to circa 570 CE. It is rumoured to have been excavated in Taiyuan in the 1980s, before being sold on the American art market.

Tomb of An Bei

The Tomb of Ān Bèi, is a 589 CE funeral monument of a Sogdian man named "An Bei" in his Chinese epitaph. The tomb was looted in 2006-2007, and its content sold in the art market. Part of the base of the tomb as well as the epitaph are now in the Tang West Market Museum (大唐西市博物館) in Xi’an.

References

  1. 1 2 Xu, Jin 徐津 (1 January 2019). "The Funerary Couch of An Jia and the Art of Sogdian Immigrants in Sixth-century China". The Burlington Magazine.
  2. "Anjia Tomb". dla.library.upenn.edu.
  3. Cosmo, Nicola Di; Maas, Michael (26 April 2018). Empires and Exchanges in Eurasian Late Antiquity: Rome, China, Iran, and the Steppe, ca. 250–750. Cambridge University Press. p. 90. ISBN   978-1-108-54810-6.
  4. GRENET, Frantz (2020). Histoire et cultures de l’Asie centrale préislamique. Paris, France: Collège de France. p. 320. ISBN   978-2-7226-0516-9. Ce sont les décors funéraires les plus riches de cette époque, venant juste après ceux de la famille impériale; il est probable que les sabao étaient parmi les éléments les plus fortunés de la population.