A Fantastic City in The World-- The Ancient City Loulan

Since the March 1901, after Swedish Sven.A.Hedin first discovered the ancient City Loulan, there were more persons, such as English Stein, Japanese Tachibana and others, who arrived here in the early or later.

Loulan is located at the northwest bank of Lop Nur, surround by dense Yadan Terrain and sinuous donga. Its accurate longitude and latitude were respectively 89°55’22’’ east and 40°29’55’’ north. It was an irregular city and the relict rampart’s outline still could be distinguished. The eastern rampart was 333.5 meters long, the southern one was 329 meters long and both the western and northern were 327 meters. The ramparts were rammed and in the middle of ramming which were 80 centimeters thick, the reeds and the rose willow branches were cramped. This was a typical architecture style of Han Dynasty as same as the Han Great Wall nearby Dunhuang.

There were two gaps in the middle of the northern and southern rampart respectively. They seemed like city gates. In the western rampart there was also a gap, on each side of which there was a projecting stereobate. It may be accessory building of the gate, but because of heavy wind erosion, we could not recognize its pristine visage. The cover area of the whole city was 108.24 thousand square meters.

The tallest building was a stupa in Loulan. Its subsistent site was 10.4 meters high. Its figure was similar to the Indian “Stotipa”, the ancient Indian stupa. The “Stotipa” was transliterated and it was one place for Buddhists to oblate and station the Reliquiae of Buddha (the Reliquiae of Buddha referred to the relics after the Nirvana of Buddha.), Buddhist scripture roll or reel and all kinds of magic implements. The ancient “Stotipa” include Stand, Cover Earthen Bowl, Crop, Rod and Umbrella. The Stand referred to the foundation; the Cover Earthen Bowl was the hemispheroidal portion on the stand; the Crop was the quadrate altar. The original stupa was only a columniform tomb, in which buried relique and reliquiae of Buddha. The stereobate was based on it, forming a column. Not until the period of the Indian Asoka King, did the top of stupa with Cover Earthen Bowl begin to be built. In the period of the Asoka, the Buddhism was advocated in a big way and widely spread to the north and east. So the stupa of Cover Earthen Bowl prevailed all round.

The stupa base of the Loulan was square and its every side was 19.5 meters long. The stupa body was octagon, based by abode and wood and rammed with earth. Its top was a round whose diameter was 6.3 meters and whose height was 2.1 meters. In the special wood (renmu in Chinese) of the stupa body, carved ornamentation remained at some out edges. In the south of the stupa, there were adobe ladders for climbing, which were 0.3 meters wide, between the base and body. The tegmen of the stupa was red. Sitting wood figure of the Buddha and censor with long copper handle and carved lotus could be found nearby. The style of the stupa reflected the influence of Buddhism started early in Loulan area.

In the south of the stupa, there stood a large architecture site. Many scattered bulky woods, some of which was 5.3 meters long, 0.3 meters wide and 0.2 meters thick, could still be found on the ground. These woods were processed elaborately, chiseled with orderly orifices. Some columns had round tops and carved with flowing winding sculpture. They were likely the columns of the balusters. Sven.A.Hedin and Stein had discovered many decorative board and wood figure of Buddha engraved with all kinds of elaborate figure. From unearthed Han slips, we could consider the place was the mansion of aide of the Western Regions.

Near this architecture site stood several houses. Their walls were wove with the branches of the rose willow and daubed with dust outside. Several small rooms can be identified. Some barley, wheat and Kharosthi slips were digged out here, together with Wuzhu Coins, small metal wares, stone wares, remained glassware and others.

In the Loulan City, the most conspicuous building relic was the “three rooms” site in the west of the city. This was a large yard, whose main building was composed of six conjoint houses. The yard faced the south, 57 meters wide from east to west and about 30 meters long. The three adobe houses were well kept along the northern wall. They were respectively 1.2 meters, 2.8 meters and 1.2 meters wide. There was a house at the cross of the north wall and east wall. Its area was 9×3.6 meters and there was a small platform against the north wall in the house.

There were houses in the western side of the yard as well. One of them was up to 10.5×11.4 meters. The walls built with rose willow branches and mud still existed on both sides. The column stood on wood round base and some columns, about 3.9 meters high, still connected with lintels. Stein had discovered a large number of Chinese slips and a few Kharosthi slips, together with relict pens, lacquers, pottery, metal wares and some commodities. In general, we called it the site of the aide’s office.

In the middle of the western rampart, there was also an architecture site. It was about 20 meters long from south to north and 15 meters wide. It was composed of many rooms, including antechamber, parlor, wing-room and back yard. Some houses were with gardens, which showed its high standard. One of the halls was 8.5×6.3 meters.

In this group of buildings, a large number of Kharosthi slips were excavated. These slips belonged to the later period of King Jitumgha. They were mainly about trial, land exchange and land trade. It is obvious that this was an important office as well.

In the south of the city, there was a large courtyard, which was wove with rose willow branches and wood bones and painted with mud outside as well. In its south, there were many small yards, mainly composed of a row of closely conjoint house. Some unearthed relicts were entirely goods of aboriginal; some were commodities of the Han nationality, such as lacquer, Wuzhu Coins, wooden comb and so on. It could be speculated that this was a place of Han and aboriginal nationalities live together.

Moreover, some small forts scattered in the south of the city, which may be related to defending troops.

In the northern suburb 4 kilometers away from the city, there was a columniform stupa, about 8 meters high. Its base was paved with blue bricks and its top was a platform, in the middle of which there was a round base. The base was partly destroyed, at the bottom of which relict colorful murals could be seen. Around the base, there was an enceinte, on which some figuline figures could be found. The round base may be the foundation of a figure of Buddha. This Buddism site in this place was posterior to the one in the city.

In the south of Loulan, there were three ancient wadis; in the north, there was also a wadi. Rows and lines of aspen woods spread all over the place 5 or 6 kilometers away from the city, winding thousands of meters. People could recall that in those days, the rivers must abound outside the city. It was an impacted area. In the bank outside of the city, the trees were green and lush. It is observed that at that time, Loulan was a spry oasis.

In the city a stone channel relics went through the city from east to west, connecting with the river outside the city. It might be the waterhead from which people got water. The life convenience was designed carefully, showing fully the high civilization.

In Loulan, the people who had stepped onto this land were all shocked by the cultural relic everywhere. The more ancient ones were a group of small exquisite microlith, including leaf-shaped microlith, quadrilateral stone arrowheads, flat laurel-leaf-shaped arrowheads and triangle arrowheads. Moreover, there were a great number of coins of Han Dynasty, such as Yujiabanliang Coin in the early of Western Han Dynasty, Wuzhu Coin of the Western Han Dynasty, and Daquan Wushi Coin of the period of Wang Mang; copper relics of the Western Han Dynasty, lacquer ear-cup, basalt plate, triangle copper arrowheads, silk, aba and even the coins and glassware of Kushan Dynasty (1st century).

On the ground thick pithos relics, stone inking pan and remained cask could be seen together with fragmentary all kinds of adornment made with gold, silver, copper and so on. These cultural relics really reflected all the aspect of ancient Loulan people’s daily life.

Since Sven.A.Hedin found out the oblivious ancient city, its name was the hot of the world. He brought back plenty of Chinese documents and Kharosthi slips to Sweden and let Karl Himly of Wiesbaden studied. Karl Himly found out that “Kroraina” had been mentioned several times in Kharosthi slips. He thought that this was the transliteration of the ancient Loulan and then put forward that the ancient city was the Loulan. After he died, professor Kunlad of Leipsic cleared up these slips and published the book the Chinese Documents and Other Discoveries Found in Loulan by Sven.A.Hedin. Among these Chinese slips, the earliest recorded time was the 4th year of Jia Ping of Cao & Wei Period (A.D.252). Others were Xian Xi of Cao & Wei Period, Tai Shi of Western Jin Dynasty, and the Yong Jia of the Western Jin Dynasty, were equaled A.D.264~310.

Sven.A.Hedin considered that the ancient city he found out in the desert was just the Loulan referred to in Chinese history. From then on, Loulan City began to be known in the world.

Compiled by www.travel-silkroad.com
Translated by www.xinghui.com
July 23, 2000