Silk Road
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Inside the Kizil Caves: 236 Grottoes Older Than Mogao
Radiocarbon dates push the Kizil Caves back to about 300 CE, roughly 260 years before Mogao. Explore China’s earliest Buddhist grotto complex.
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Shamsi Valley: Inside the 61-Gram Gold Death Mask of 1958
In 1958 a 61.49 g gold death mask was lifted from a Shamsi Valley grave in Kyrgyzstan, with 150 other treasures. Discover…
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Tianshui Tomb: Inside a Sogdian Official’s Stone Couch
Discovered in 1982, the Tianshui tomb preserves a Sogdian official’s stone funerary couch carved with Zoroastrian fire-altar scenes in Sui China. Explore…
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Inside the Tomb of Li Dan: A Byzantine Coin in Xi’an
In 564 CE the Tomb of Li Dan buried a Gandharan Brahmin beside a Byzantine gold coin in Xi’an — discover how…
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Inside the Binxian Great Buddha: Taizong’s 628 Colossus
Founded in 628 CE by Emperor Taizong, the Binxian Great Buddha is a 20-metre Tang Amitabha — explore its Silk Road grottoes,…
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Diamer-Basha Petroglyphs: How a Dam Drowns 37,000 Carvings
Over 37,000 petroglyphs line the Indus at Chilas — some 8,000 years old. Discover the Diamer-Basha rock art the dam reservoir will…