Khotan Khotan Melody Thomas Scott Category="Central Asian Buddhist sites"Category="Cities along the Silk Road"Category="Cities in Xinjiang"Category="Prefecture-level divisions of Xinjiang"Khotan or Hotan (Uyghur: خوتەن/Hotǝn; Chinese: 和田; Pinyin: Hétián, formerly: Simplified Chinese: 和阗; Traditional Chinese: 和闐; Pinyin: Hétián; 37°6′ N 80°1′ ) is an oasis town and a prefecture in the Taklamakan Desert that was part of the southern Silk Road. Two strong rivers provided the water that made this town inhabitable in the midst of the world's second largest desert. Presently located in the southern Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China, this ancient city has a rich history. It was once famous for its Silk, Jade and Pottery.

Today, however, this dusty Uighur town is off the beaten path. No longer the great trading city of the past, this town is now a large, if out of the way agricultural town. The population in 1999 was 86,019.

The town lies just west of the White Jade River, named for the white Jade that was recovered from its alluvial deposits. Most of the jade is now gone, but an occasional piece may still be found. The river still provides water and irrigation for the town though.

Khotan is now famous for the discovery of Caucasoid mummies, and are evidence of long term inhabitation of the area by the Tocharians. The desert atmosphere has preserved perishable items such as wood and fabric, attracting archaeologists. The area is rich in archaeological sites that are buried beneath the desert sand.

Facts

Historical

Early History

The oasis of Khotan is strategically located at the junction of the southern (and most ancient) branch of the famous “Silk Route” joining China and the West with one of the main routes from India and Tibet to Central Asia and China. It provided a convenient meeting place where not only goods, but technologies, philosophies, and religions were transmitted from one culture to another.

Khotan, from the traditional time of its founding during the reign of the great Indian emperor Aśoka Maurya (c. 269 to 231 B.C.) until the Muslim conquest c. 1006 A.D., had a tempestuous history and suffered many invasions. For much of this period it was a key entry point for Indian trade and culture into the Tarim Basin and became an important and influential centre of Buddhist learning and culture in its own right.

Khotan was also the source of most of the early (nephrite) Jade used in China. For several hundred years, until they were defeated by the Xiongnu in 176 BCE, the trade of Khotanese jade into China was controlled by the nomadic Yuezhi. The early history and long lost language of the ancient kingdom of Khotan have been gradually pieced together by the diligent efforts of a remarkable assembly of adventurers and scholars from many countries. We are fortunate in now having a relative abundance of information on Khotan readily available for study. The main historical sources are to be found in the Chinese histories (particularly detailed during the Han and early Tang dynasties), the accounts of several Chinese pilgrim monks, a few Buddhist histories of Khotan that have survived in Tibetan, and a large number of documents in Khotanese and other languages discovered, for the most part, early this century at various sites in the Tarim Basin and from the hidden library at the “Caves of the Thousand Buddhas” near Dunhuang.

References

Additional links

Prefecture-level divisions of Xinjiang
Prefecture-level cities:Karamay | Ürümqi
Prefectures:Aksu | Hami | Hotan | Kashgar | Turpan | Altay1 | Qoqek1
Autonomous prefectures:Bayin'gholin | Börtala | Changji | Ili | Kizilsu
Sub-prefecture-level cities:Alar | Shihezi | Tumushuke | Wujiaqu
  1 Part of Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture
List of Xinjiang County-level divisions