"Pompeii City" in the East
Located in the Taklimakan Desert, about 0/50km north of Hotan Minfeng County, there is an ancient site-Niya Site. The experts and scholars who came here to investigate called it "Pompeii in the East". It was first discovered by Stein in England in 190 1 year. Stein collected a large number of Han Dynasty documents and precious cultural relics such as pottery, wood carving and coins here, which caused a sensation in the world archaeological community. This forgotten site in the vast yellow sand has gradually attracted people's attention.
The entire Niya site is distributed in the delta area of the lower reaches of the Niya River. Centered on the stupa more than two meters high, it is 25 kilometers long from north to south and 7 kilometers wide from east to west. In this long and narrow ancient city ruins, the remaining Buddhist temples, houses and cemeteries are scattered among them, and the farmland, forest belts, canal systems and smelting sites of that year are faintly visible. It can be seen that the residents of the country are divided into two regions, the north and the south, the giants in the south and the civilians in the north, with the Niya River passing through the city as the boundary. However, every family has orchards, barns and ponds. There is an earthen stupa in the center of the site. Although shabby, the ancient style still exists. At that time, people who believed in Buddhism lived along the river, diverted water to irrigate fields, and managed their own homes in oases. However, it is such an ancient city, Guo. Before 1930s, people could not determine the exact name of this ancient site. Later, several Han bamboo slips were found here, and people realized that it was one of the 36 countries in the Western Region.
According to the biography of the Western Regions in Han Dynasty, Jing State is located at the foot of Kunlun Mountain and the southern edge of Taklimakan Desert, which belongs to the jurisdiction of protecting the country in the Western Regions of Han Dynasty. Kings include generals, captains, postmen, etc. There are 480 families with a population of 3360 and 500 elite soldiers. "Although the country is a small country, it is located in the throat of the Silk Road and its geographical location is very important. Xuanzang, a monk of the Tang Dynasty, passed through here when he went to India to seek dharma. Xuanzang recorded here that "the earth is hot and humid, and it is difficult to tread." "There is no way to restore reed grass." It is still very similar to the natural scene in the Niya Valley today. Populus euphratica, red willows and reeds are clustered on both sides of the Niya Valley, and psammophytes are everywhere. In the depths of red willows, occasionally houses and white sheep are scattered in the green grass. Tarim rabbits come out from shrubs and weeds from time to time. Now, after passing Cabal Askar village, 5 kilometers to the north, an oasis has appeared here, which can probably restore the scene of this small oasis country on the southern edge of the Taklimakan Desert dotted at the tail of the Niya River 1800 years ago.
During the Han dynasty, the civilization of a perfect country went to glory. However, the shortage of water resources and raging sandstorms have always been a threat to the Niya people surrounded by the sand sea. From the thick trunks of dead poplars in the ruins, we can know that in order to maintain the oasis, Jingjue people once planted trees on a large scale. The law of a perfect country even stipulates that it is forbidden to cut down living trees, and offenders will be punished; Even if the branches are cut off, a cow will be fined. This provision was praised by later generations as the earliest "forest law" in the world. The water and seeds of a perfect country are managed by the king himself to maintain its survival.
Although the Niya people were so cautious and diligent in the harsh environment, they became extinct after the Three Kingdoms and the Jin Dynasty. Niya's abandonment is a mystery. There are no signs of river diversion or war around the ruins of the ancient city, and there are no people in the houses and courtyards; A large number of official documents have just been sorted out, and it is too late to transport them away; Even the loyal dog forgot to take it away and tied it to the post at the door. In this way, the Niya people disappeared in a hurry, leaving only sand to bury the ruins, leaving a mystery in the vast desert.