Khotan Kelims of the Silk Road

Myth, Ritual and Ancient Central Asian Civilization
Erscheinungsjahr 2026
ISBN: 978-981-9214-18-1
Verlag: Springer

Buch, Englisch, 308 Seiten, Format (B × H): 153 mm x 216 mm, Gewicht: 561 g

This book examines Qushu carpets from the Xinjiang Hotan region using an interdisciplinary approach. Covering Khotan Buddhist culture, Persian artistic influences, and Silk Road exchanges, the study fills a significant gap in research on medieval Western Regions visual texts. It employs a three-tiered framework of “artifact analysis-symbolic decoding-cultural interpretation” to reveal the dual function of Qushu carpets as religious vehicles and media for social memory. Its primary strength lies in the systematic reconstruction of the visual language of the Khotan civilization, a first in the field.

This work addresses the academic community’s need for studies of non-textual historical sources along the Southern Silk Road, providing a new paradigm for Buddhist art history and material culture studies. By deconstructing esoteric Buddhist rituals and creation myths within the patterns, it responds to inquiries in international Dunhuang studies regarding the fusion of diverse beliefs. Additionally, it offers the public a visual pathway to understanding Western Regions civilization, demonstrating both scholarly innovation and cultural dissemination value.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Duan, Qing

Weitere Mitwirkende

Li, Ling

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Alte Geschichte & Archäologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Asiatische Geschichte
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft | Kulturwissenschaften Kulturwissenschaften

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Chapter 1 The Legend of “Shanpula”: Khotanese Words Inscribed on the Qushu Carpets No. 3-5.- Chapter 2 Myths in The Epic of Gilgamesh: Interpretations of the Images on the Qushu Carpets No. 1-2 (Part I).- Chapter 3 Greek and Mesopotamian Theogony: Interpretations of the Images on the Qushu Carpets No. 1-2 (Part II).- Chapter 4 Mythology: The Interplay of Translocality and Locality--of the Images on the Qushu Carpets No. 1-2 (Part III).- Chapter 5 Rituals and Myths:Exploring the Primitive Religious Beliefs of Ancient Khotan.

Über Autor(innen)

Professor Qing Duan (1953-2022), a distinguished Boya Chair Professor at Peking University, has dedicated her career to teaching and rigorously investigating Middle Iranian languages, Sanskrit, Pali, and Gandhari. Internationally renowned, her scholarly achievements are especially significant in the fields of Indology, Buddhist studies, Silk Road manuscript research, and the study of Sanskrit palm-leaf manuscripts.Her previous works includes the publication of An Introduction to Pa?ini’s Grammar (2001), Khotan, Buddhism, and Ancient Manuscripts (2013), Xiyu Documents in the National Library of China: Khotanese Volume (I) (2015), Kharo??hi Correspondence in the Qinghai Tibetan Medicine Culture Museum (2016) and so on.