I must confess: I haven't really been thinking all that much about Bactria lately. Bactria, along with a great many other important things, has taken a backseat to the holidays, family, and work. However, I have been thinking recently about Xuanzang, the famous Buddhist pilgrim of the 7th century, who recorded a wonderful snapshot of Buddhist Balkh on the eve of the Islamic Conquest of Bactria.
In particular, I have been considering Xuanzang's journey into the Gobi and Taklamakan Deserts early in his travels. The Gobi is a fairly well known desert by name and location, but perhaps not as well known is the Taklamakan Desert (Taklamakan, as explained by Dr. Anya King, is known to mean "you go in but you don't come out"), found in and around the Tarim Basin.
The Gobi Desert and the Taklamakan Desert.
A political map showing the Gobi and the Taklamakan Deserts.
Xuanzang's journey along the Silk Routes, the major highways for travel of that day, is an excellent account of the conditions travelers faced on the roads. It was necessary for the monk to have a guide and a horse, of which he had both, though his guide was old and his horse was a skinny mare long past her prime. The importance of vetting a guide becomes evident as well, since Xuanzang's guide tried to kill him in his sleep. However, the guide left Xuanzang alone in the desert, and the monk made his way to a Chinese desert outpost, from which he entered the heart of the Gobi Desert. The dangers of traveling the open desert soon become apparent to the monk. He questioned things he was seeing, knowing mirages could lead travelers astray. He encountered the bones of unlucky men and beasts in the desert. He lost his water supply at one point, and, according to his hagiographer Hui-Li, was only saved through the divine protection of Guan Yin, a Bodhisattva that Xuanzang prayed to when he felt he was in danger. Xuanzang also encountered bandits on numerous occasions in his travels, as the routes on the periphery of the empires, kingdoms, city-states, etc. were prone to raiding from bands of highwaymen. Weather and political situations could also prove hazardous to travelers, a unstable governments lead to reduced security along the roads.
The northern Silk Route along the Taklamakan Desert is the route Xuanzang took after arriving at Hami.
There are two routes to choose from when desiring to go around the Tarim Basin and the Taklamakan Desert at its heart. One is the northern route, along the Tian Shan mountains, were the oasis towns of Turfan, Aksu, and, further west, Kashgar. On the southern route there were the towns of Khotan, Niya, Loulan, and Dunhuang. These oasis towns were crucial to safe passage around the Taklamakan, as the desert is a dry, brutal salt basin prone to extreme cold and heat. The mountains around Tarim Basin give seasonal snowfall and melts, creating rivers that drain into the desert where they disappear due to evaporation upon encountering the dry, arid conditions of the desert. These seasonal rivers provided the much needed water for agriculture in the oasis towns, producing fruits and other goods to sustain the cities and engage in the trade. Sericulture (cultivation of silk worms and the production of silk) also made its way to these areas from China along the Silk Routes. These cities were known for the grand wealth and their strategic importance, and were often the subject of conquests by invading forces, from the successive invasions of the nomadic confederations, to the Chinese, to the Islamic Conquests.
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| This map is terrible, but it was the best I could find to show the names, listed in white, of the oasis towns. |
As I mentioned earlier, Xuanzang's religious devotions and prayer during his trials in the desert were not an uncommon practice among travelers of that time. Traveling was a dangerous proposition, and any number of ill fates could befall a caravan. This is the time of the omens, of consulting wise men, religious figures, and divination for advice on when to leave and what route would be safest to travel. To show their gratitude, demonstrate piety, and earn a little merit, wealthy merchants and travelers would often commission Buddhist carvings, paintings, manuscripts, or entire Buddhist cave shrines to be constructed. These sites were important places of pilgrimage and learning for Buddhist monks, who received patronage from local government officials in China as well as wealthy, private individuals. Two famous Buddhist cave complexes are the ones at Dunhuang (including Mogao and other cave complexes) and the Bezeklik caves at Turfan and Loulan. These shrines were elaborately decorated, some with portraits of their patrons along with various depictions of Buddhist legends, Bodhisattvas, and various incarnations of the Buddha. These caves must have been welcome sights of civilization to travelers weary after their long journeys.
Though Xuanzang did not have much use for the caves. When pressured to stay and visit the caves at Dunhuang by a Buddhist watchman, he insisted he go forward on his pilgrimage to India, even if it meant wandering the desert thirsty, with no guide, a skinny horse and a Bodhisattva. Such was the devotion of the monk.
Bibliography
Hwui-Li. The Life of Hiuen-Tsang. trans. Samuel Beal. Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co: London. 1911. Elibron Classics replica edition. 2005.
Wriggins, Sally Hovey. The Silk Road Journey with Xuanzang. Wrestview Press: Boulder, CO. 2004.
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