Dunhuang manuscripts

Dunhuang manuscripts are texts and documents found in the Library Cave at the Mogao Caves, near Dunhuang, after it was opened in 1900. They preserve religious, literary, administrative, and everyday writing from across medieval Eurasia.

Mogao Caves: A complex of Buddhist cave temples carved into cliffs near Dunhuang in northwestern China. The Library Cave was one chamber in this larger religious and artistic site.
Aurel Stein: A British-Hungarian archaeologist whose expeditions explored Central Asia and acquired manuscripts from Dunhuang. His 1907 acquisition carried many Library Cave manuscripts into British collections.
Dunhuang Tibetan manuscripts: Tibetan-language texts and documents preserved among the Dunhuang manuscript finds. They illuminate Tibetan rule and Buddhist culture in the region.
Dunhuangology: The interdisciplinary study of Dunhuang’s history, culture, languages, and archaeological remains. The manuscript cache helped establish this broad field of research.
Library Cave: A small sealed chamber in the Mogao Caves that contained a large cache of manuscripts and other objects. Its contents make the Dunhuang manuscript collection distinctive.
Paul Pelliot: A French sinologist and explorer who examined the Library Cave manuscripts in 1908. His close inspection and selections influenced the manuscripts’ dispersal into French collections.
Dunhuang Chinese manuscripts: Chinese-language texts and documents recovered from the Library Cave and nearby sites. They include Buddhist works alongside secular writing and practical records.
Dunhuang manuscripts in the British Library: Dunhuang manuscripts and related materials held by the British Library. A substantial group entered its collections through Aurel Stein’s acquisitions.
Dunhuang: An oasis city in Gansu, China, historically situated on routes linking China with Central Asia. The city’s location shaped the collection’s languages, religions, and commercial records.
Wang Yuanlu: A Daoist priest who oversaw the Mogao Caves when the Library Cave was discovered. His role in opening and managing the cave shaped access to its contents.

Linked from 24 pages