VANISHED CITY

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 2346, 16 January 1926, Page 4

VANISHED CITY

EHARO-KHOTO. OF DISSERT, i ART OF PRINTING KNOWN TO GHENGIE KHAiN. One of the most interesting exhibitions seen in London was opened at tho British Museum on July 14. It was an exhibition of archaeological objects brought back by Sir Aurel Stein from his Central Asian expedition, which led him over vast portions of the Eastern Turkestan and Westernmost China, and whioh was carried out under the orders of the Indian, Government.

During his travels Sir Aurel visited Kharo-Khoto, the dead city in Mongolia, not lofag ago discovered by tho eminent Russian explorer. Colonel Kosloff. Sir Aurel’s report on his expedition Is now in the Press, but it so happens (says Lancelot Lawton, in tho London "Daily Chronicle”) that I have just received from Moscow an elaborate record, with photographs, of Colonel Kosloff’s discovery of KharoKhoto. It Is one of the most important discoveries of tho ago, for hero archaeology breaks new ground. How ancient the city te no one knows, but it is certain that it goes back to the period (about 1368) which led up to the Golden Horde, when Mongolia, it stems, was a world. Power.

Some original fragments of the teachings of Ghengiz Khan, set down by the scribes from his own words, were found amid the ruins, also business correspondence and the Debt Act of that period. Book of Stodibad.

More wonderful still, part of the celebrated Persian writings of tho Book of Slndibad, “The Stories of the Seven Sagos” (or Masters), was found in the original. One Arabic text of the story is contained in the “Thousand and One Nights." Whole libraries of books were recovered, 2,000 copies in all, including one of thirty-four pages on medicine for horses. Many were written on silk, and the binding was of blue. They were as new-looking as though they had been .inscribed yesterday. Several editions .were printed; thus it is established that the art of printing was known in tho East much earlier than had been thought. Nor was this all. Immense quantities or objects of all kinds were/found, including hand-weaved gobelins of exquisite beauty. But of these porhaps tho most valuable were 800 Buddhist paintings, chiefly on silk and thick linen cloth, which had been treated beforehand with a preparation of chalk and giue. The colours are fresh and even brilliant; some quite original tints are introduced, as, for example, a tender! pinkish, violet. Fantastic Ikons. i Looking at these Buddhist paintings, one is at once reminded of early Christian art. Often the Buddha is enveloped In clouds, and at each side is to be seen the little figure of a monk, or in a corner that of a pious layman, censer in hand. Sdmq of. these ikons are .tic, ■ ; V .' t-f 'J., ? C i‘ ' ■ Thai Mongolia of these .day#,, the days of Ghengiz Kh an, - was evidently a laud of great culture ,a. land in which people from, many distant parts of the civilised world assembled. It would appear that the Mongolians were not altogether the savages that we have imagined them to be. '<

Khara-Klioto, about which we now learn for the first time, is & strange and mystical city. The Mongolians of to-day call it the Black, City, and, believing that it is haunted by spirits will not enter it. No one would even tell the expedition where it was located. One night a woman, caught by a storm was forced' to take shelter there. Next day, raking over the ruins, she found a magnificent necklace composed of three ropes or pearls.

It is said that the last ruling prince when besieged by the Chinese, buried eighty cartloads of gold, silver and other treasure in the city. The Mongolians are confident that this treasure is there —but none dare seek it lest harm befall him.

..The city, which shows traces of having been well planned, contains a number of tapering towers and a temple of original design, with a cupola. In one of these towers, called the praying tower, most of the books and paintings were found. Some of them were strewn about, but others were neatly piled, as if they had been carefully stored away for centuries. Tna dry air of the desert had enabled them to survive for hundreds of yearn in an almost perfect state of preservation. .’s■

>■ The country around Ehara-Khoto h aa strange aa the deadfv city itself, but It is beautiful beyond dreams. Colon.il Koslolf tolls us that life in M ongolia is a magical fairy tale. Everything is fairy-like. In the daytime the sky is a perfect turquoise blue, and at night the moon Is surrounded by a ring of rainbow colours. On the plain enormous herds of camels, horses, antelopes, and sheep are to be seen—the explorer says that he has never seen so many animals assembled together before in his life. But all the animals are of an “original sha.pe”: even the bears which he came across looked unusual. Every

night the expedition was entertained to a concert of howls from hundreds and hundreds of wolves whidh crept out. Colonel Kosloff saw lakes literally 'covered with ducks, geese, seagulls, and storks, while overhead flew Immense flocks of cygnets. Of vultures there are an abundance ,and of small birds, too: Indeed, the desert Is thickly populated with bird life. The explorer frequently observed an eagle swooping down upon a hare; but on each occasion the hare leapt over the back of its enemy and made oft. Ono curious fact is chat hares are tamed aud run about the houses of the Mongolians just as cats do with up.

In the winter there Is great elemental activity. Storms sweep over Mongolia, the wind splits the rock of the mountains and polishes the stones until they are exquisitely smooth and curiously formed. Then the whole silhouette of the landscape is changed. So fascinated were the members of the expedition with the endless variety and beauty of these stones that they stuffed their pockets with them until the load became cumbersome, end they had to lighten It.