A Silk Road Oasis: Life in Ancient Dunhuang

by Melodie Doumy

The oasis of Dunhuang, at the edge of the Gobi Desert, was once a bustling town on the famous Silk Road connecting China and the Mediterranean. But there was more to this verdant oasis than trade. For more than 1,000 years, Dunhuang was also an important pilgrimage site, a cultural melting pot where ideas, technologies and art flowed freely. People from many cultures lived, travelled through, worked and worshipped here.

In the remarkable Buddhist cave complex just outside Dunhuang, a wealth of manuscripts, documents and artworks remained sealed for nearly 900 years. This astonishing time capsule opens windows onto the intimate worlds of artists and scribes, merchants and fortune-tellers, diplomats, Buddhists and nuns.

Detailing life in and around Dunhuang during the first millennium, this book draws on personal letters, wills, paintings, sculptures and more, encompassing several languages, faiths and cultures including Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism and Christianity; and spans topics as diverse as literature, astronomy, medicine, politics and art. Highlights from these ancient texts include:

* The Diamond Sutra, the world's earliest complete printed book with a date, and one of the most influential Buddhist texts ever composed in East Asia.
* The Dunhuang star chart, the earliest known atlas of the night sky from any civilisation.
* The Old Tibetan Annals, the earliest surviving historical document in Tibetan, giving a year-by-year account of the Tibetan Empire between 641 and 764.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

112 pages, Paperback

Published September 27, 2024

Reviews

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lovely little history to accompany the exhibtion at the British Library. I love Dunhuang and wrote a paper about the Dunhuang manuscripts during my MA. This was a great exhibtion catalogue with clear images of the items in the exhibiton, and a good overview background of the area and culture of that time.

[Philippe Beauvais · Rating 5 out of 5]

A booklet accompanying the British Library exhibit on Dunhuang which I had the pleasure to see in person.

The items picked by the curator were utterly fascinating, and to see them with my own eyes is something I’ll forever be grateful for. From the oldest printed book IN HISTORY, to tragic letters from separated family members, and religious scripts containing 6 ancient languages on the same page, it was truly an amazing experience. Really hoping to see the Dunhuang caves in the near future, but in the meantime, the exhibition and booklet were a real treat!

Congrats Mélodie!

[Trinity Benstock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb. The superior silk roads exhibition and now it seems guide. Focused, concise, and richly illustrated. It lets the collection- and what a collection!- speak for itself.

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent and informative accompaniment to the small exhibition at the British Library. You don't need to have seen the exhibition for the book to be a good read, telling about the cultural exchanges in this trading cross-road. Some of the personal tales are intriguing, others so very sad. We'll never know what happened to the wife whose letter wasn't delivered.

[Mary Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent description of the village of Dunhuang over a period of more than 1000 years and the rediscovery of the Magoa Caves in 1900 by Wang Yuanlu. He did his best to protect and preserve the caves. Amazing story.
Beautifully illustrated. Very well researched.