Mazar Tagh

Description

Scope and content : Mazar Tagh is the site of a ruined hill fort in the middle of the Taklamakan desert, dating from the time of the Tibetan Empire from mid-eighth to mid-ninth centuries. Like the Miran fort site, its excavation has yielded hundreds of military documents from this period, which are among the earliest surviving Tibetan manuscripts, and vital sources for understanding the early history of Tibet. Mazar Tagh was part of the ancient Kingdom of Khotan during the first millennium AD. Before the Tibetan army built a fort there, it seems to have been a Buddhist pilgrimage site known locally as 'the Hill. It is now the site of an Islamic shrine or 'Mazar', hence the name. Mazar Tagh was excavated by Aurel Stein in 1907 during his second Central Asian expedition, and again in 1913 during his third expedition. The fort contained five rooms (i to v in Stein's discussions) and a watchtower, which is still partially standing. As well as excavating the fort, Stein discovered a large refuse heap on the north and northeast slopes of the hill, which contained hundreds of discarded Tibetan military documents on paper and wood.