The ruins at Miran consist of a large rectangular fort, a monastery, several stupas and many sun-dried brick constructions, The site stands between the Taklamakan and Lop Nor deserts and is close to the route which led to Dunhuang to the east and Khotan to the west.
The Buddhist shrines and stupas date from as early as the 3rd century and contain Buddhist stucco reliefs, sculptures and frescoes. Also found at in these structures were wooden carved objects and silk inscribed with Kharosthi script [Or.8212/190]. It is thought that this religious site had already been abandoned when the Tibetan fort was built.
The fort was in use when the area was under Tibetan rule, from the mid-seventh to the mid-ninth centuries. Excavations here revealed Tibetan military documents on wood and paper, fragments with a Turkish runic script [Or.8212/76(1),(2),(3)] and a palm-leaf manuscript [Or.8212/60(A)]. The fort was abandoned in the second half of the 9th century, at the end of the Tibetan empire.
