Afrasiab murals
Afrasiab murals | |
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Created | 648-651 CE |
Discovered | Afrasiyad, Samarkand, Uzbekistan 39°40′09″N 66°59′36″E / 39.669300°N 66.993400°E |
Present location | Afrasiab Museum of Samarkand, Uzbekistan |
Culture | Sogdian |
The Afrasiab murals, also called the Paintings of the Ambassadors, is a rare example of
Description
The paintings date back to the middle of the 7th century CE. They were probably painted between 648 and 651 CE, while the
The topic of the main wall, which depicts
Description of the four walls
The four walls of the palatial room in Afrasiab seem to depict the four principal civilizations influencing in Central Asia at that time: Chinese, Indian, Iranian, and Turkic.[6] The Chinese chronicles of the Book of the Later Han appears to describe such mural depicting the four civilizations as a common feature in the region:[7]
The country of He, also named Qushuangnijia (Koschânyah), or Guishuangni [...] To the east of the city, there is a storied pavilion inside of which are paintings. On the north wall, the former emperors of China. To the east, the princes and king of the Turks and the Hindus. To the west, the Persians and those from Byzantium. Every morning the prince of this country goes to this pavilion to pray, and then retreat."
— Book of the Later Han, Book 221.[8]
Inscription mentioning Varhuman and the ambassadors
Inscriptions at the site mention the king of Samarkand Varkhuman. Written in Sogdian, the inscription, reads:
Western Turk officers and courtiers
In contrast with the ambassadors from various countries, the
The ambassadors from various countries may have been paying homage both to king Varkhuman and possibly a Western Turk Khagan, both nominal vassals of China. The numerous Turkic officers and courtiers who are present may suggest the predominance of the Western Turks at the court of Samarkand during this time period.[1]
In the mural, the Western Turks are ethnic Turks,
Overview
There are four walls, with murals in various states of preservation. There were two registers, an upper and lower one, but the upper register of the murals was essentially destroyed by bulldozers during the construction works that led to the discovery of the murals.[13]
Various reconstructions for the whole mural have been proposed.[15]
Original murals (details)
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Afrasiab Palace Fresco 7th-8th century. Sogdian Chamberlains & Interpreter Introduce Tibetan Messengers
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Chinese boat
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Afrasiab Palace Fresco 7th-8th century. Detail of a horserider
Restoration
In early 2014, France declared that it would finance the restoration of the Afrasiab painting.[18]
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Wall painting at the Ambassador's Hall in Afrosiab
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Turkish officers during an audience with king Varkhuman of Samarkand. 648-651 CE, Afrasiyab murals, Samarkand.[1][22]
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Delegate with boar head symbol on his dress in the Afrasiab murals 650 CE.[23]
Turkic period: Kara-Khanid Khanate (999-1212)
A palatial structure dating to the
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Kara-Khanid medallion with fighting birds, Afrasiab, circa 1200 CE.[32]
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Kara-Khanid bands of inscription with running animals, Afrasiab, circa 1200 CE.[32]
See also
Sources
- Marshak, Boris; Grenet, Frantz; Sadowska-Daguin, Malgoržata (1994). "Le programme iconographique des peintures de la "Salle des ambassadeurs" à Afrasiab (Samarkand)". Arts Asiatiques. 49 (1): 5–20. .
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-83860-868-2.
- ISBN 978-1-932476-13-2.
- JSTOR 41913392.
- JSTOR 41913394.
- JSTOR 41913394.
- ^ Vaissière, Etienne de la (212). "Oxford Handbook of Late Antiquity: 5 Central Asia and the Silk Road". In S. Johnson (Ed.), Oxford Handbook of Late Antiquity, Oxford University Press, P. 142-169. Oxford University Press: 144–160.
- JSTOR 41913394.
- JSTOR 41913394.
- ^ "Afrosiab Wall Painting". contents.nahf.or.kr. NORTHEAST ASIAN HISTORY FOUNDATION.
- ^ Bulatova, Vera; Shishkina, Galina V. (1986). Самарканд: музей под открытым небом "Samarkand, Open-air Museum" (in Uzbek). Publishing house of literature and art Изд-во лит-ры и искусства им. Гафура Гуляма. p. 47.
..."When king Varkhuman of the Unash dynasty approached the ambassador, the ambassador opened his mouth and said : 'I am Pukarzate..."
- JSTOR 41913394.
- ISBN 978-0-19-021842-3.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-932476-13-2.
- ^ a b c d e f g Yatsenko, Sergey A. (2004). "The Costume of Foreign Embassies and Inhabitants of Samarkand on Wall Painting of the 7th c. in the "Hall of Ambassadors" from Afrasiab as a Historical Source". Transoxiana. 8.
- ^ Yatsenko, Sergey A. (2009). "Early Turks: Male Costume in the Chinese Art Second half of the 6th – first half of the 8th cc. (Images of 'Others')". Transoxiana. 14: Fig. 3.
- JSTOR 41913394.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-932476-13-2.
- ^ "Археология. НОВОСТИ Мира Археологии: Восстановление фрески из музея Афрасиаб начнется в апреле". Archived from the original on 2016-09-20. Retrieved 2014-04-24.
- ^ Compareti (University of California, Berkeley), Matteo (2007). "The Chinese Scene at Afrāsyāb". Eurasiatica.
- ^ Grenet, Frantz (2004). "Maracanda/Samarkand, une métropole pré-mongole". Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales. 5/6: Fig. D.
- ^ a b Compareti (University of California, Berkeley), Matteo (2015). "Ancient Iranian Decorative Textiles". The Silk Road. 13: 38.
- ^ Grenet, Frantz (2004). "Maracanda/Samarkand, une métropole pré-mongole". Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales. 5/6: Fig. B.
- ISBN 978-1-349-61845-3.
- ISBN 978-1-932476-13-2.
- ISBN 978-1-83860-868-2.
- ^ Grenet, Frantz (2004). "Maracanda/Samarkand, une métropole pré-mongole". Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales. 5/6: Fig. C.
- ISBN 9789004257009.
The ceramics and monetary finds in the pavilion can be dated to no earlier than to the second half of the twelfth century, and more plausibly towards the end of that century. This is the only pavilion of those excavated that was decorated with paintings, which leave no doubt about the master of the place. (...) The whole artistic project was aimed at exalting the royal figure and the magnificence of his court. (...) the main scenes from the northern wall represents the ruler sitting cross-legged on a throne (see Figs 13, 14) (...) It was undoubtedly a private residence of the Qarakhanid ruler and his family and not a place for solemn receptions.
- ^ ISBN 978-8412527858.
Peintures murales qui ornaient (...) la résidence privée des derniers souverains qarakhanides de Samarkande (fin du 12ième - début du 13ième siècle (...) le souverain assis, les jambes repliées sur le trône, tient une flèche, symbole du pouvoir (Fig.171).
- ISBN 9789004257009.
We cannot exclude the possibility that this action was related to the dramatic events of the year 1212, when Samarqand was taken by the Khwarazmshah Muḥammad b. Tekish.
- ISBN 978-1-78477-017-4.
- ISBN 978-1-78477-017-4.
- ^ ISBN 9789004257009.
The ceramics and monetary finds in the pavilion can be dated to no earlier than to the second half of the twelfth century, and more plausibly towards the end of that century. This is the only pavilion of those excavated that was decorated with paintings, which leave no doubt about the master of the place. (...) The whole artistic project was aimed at exalting the royal figure and the magnificence of his court. (...) It was undoubtedly a private residence of the Qarakhanid ruler and his family and not a place for solemn receptions.
Royal Nawrūz in Samarkand: Acts of the Conference held in Venice on the Pre-Islamic Afrāsyāb Painting, ed. M. Compareti and E. de La Vaissière, Rome, 2006.
External links
- Court art of Sogdian Samarqand in the 7th century AD - images and commentary at the University of Halle