BURIED CITY OF ASIA.

Shannon News, 5 October 1923, Page 4

BURIED CITY OF ASIA.

Iu the deserts of Mongolia, far away from cities and civilisation, a rumour originated some years ago oi a dead city, abandoned by its inhabitants for centuries, and bunedevor more deeply beneath shifting sands. In 1907 a Russian scientific expedition, 'led by Professor' Kozlov, set out with the purpose of searching for themty. The task was difficult because nomadic tribes in the region were suspicious of- strangers and slow to give information. When the Russian exploring party approached Kara-Khoto with thoir Mongolian guide they were, compelled to plough fHroue-H sa.n_d drifts fifteen feet deep. H w as this sand, together with the and climate of Mongolia, that had city’s walls and monuments over a •nprind of many centuries. The neign | ouring tribesmen who had settled near the city ten generations before, de dared that it always had been there as far back as their records veaffiied The street's and houses of - K^ ia Khoto have been largely obliterated by

waves of sand. But Kozlov’s Pjrw found many interesting * this Mongolian Pompeii. Theie were remains "of Buddhist temp - and Mohammedan mosques. There weio uackages of Chinese papei mone s , «armg grim inscriptions j threaten** pounterfeiters with the loss of tneir heads. There were silver ornaments and money, carefully hidden away t»

1 lie original owners. - The most important drscovsry °f l all v-is a cone shaped monument outside f lip ‘city walls. In this monument was a library of 2000 books, wntten in seven Eastern languages. In the th ieentli or fourteenth centuries the Chinese had sent out an army Sure Kara-Khoto. For several -'■pars they beseiged the city, m vain. Then a Chinese engineer conceived the idea of cutting off the water supply r -To blocked up with sand bags th liver which formerly flowed .^°"f f h the city, and turned its course m a.difL, riir.-intioii. The people, des-

dug a deep well S'? the walls. but Tailed get rushed out, only to be flus the open by the superior forces or Chinese.

Tho Russians found in the monument many signs of high ;-!m a iritants Crwlr^^rlers^Sie', Hindi wi“ 2Sro“more than. ...> Buddhist pictures, Mn te There were grounds ot cloth and silk Them v '“, many statues of Buddhist godsand goddesses. Traces of lormer canals were found in the city. .

The expedition extended its research to rc-discovcr a cave m _ J he which, it was said no wxnte man Iver seen. The nomads who J ved o limit the lake made every effoit tcv prevent traveta from launching n boat on if. On the other side of the lake the Russians found w « ire ® f U ; dhist monks, wild men with shaggy. mattedbair and beards that bad^ueve^ inountains'of nm^hemTibet, “rs° U who' d attaekTd d them“w!th Swarms o£ arrows. These were no match for

the firearms of the Russians, and the robbers were beaten off. bcen A nCW I attxxeegears’ tour. Proorganised for a thr e > ompa nies lessor Kozlov, who again is the expedition, sa^ e year will be purely scientifi • second in spent in Mongol*. »« devo ted Tibet, and “e thud Jbl which may' to the bomeward Journ J. tan be through India oi Chin^»- ta m wn women win do ™° y L N ew Turk “Time*