- Introduction
- Background
- Topics
- Archaeology & the Discovery of the Dunhuang Caves
- Explorers
- Artefacts as Evidence
- Understanding Manuscripts
- Links
The Silk Road was the first line of communication between East and West linking Europe, Africa and Asia. It was truly cosmopolitan, linking numerous cultures, languages and peoples. Most of these are represented in the Dunhuang and other Silk Road manuscripts. But in addition to representing Asian cultures, the Silk Road attracted explorers from around the world and all of these left their own mark on Silk Road history. Chinese explorers such as King Mu (Mu Wang) first recorded their travels in the 5th-4th century BC. Chinese monks such as Faxian (early 5th century) and Xuanzang (7th century) travelled along the Silk Road to India to collect Buddhist scriptures.
Hungarian born British Explorer Sir Marc Aurel Stein (1862-1943) was the first explorer to visit Dunhuang after the great discovery of 1900. Stein was particularly interested in the meeting of cultures — Iranian, Indian, Turkic, and Chinese — along the Southern Silk Road. Over three major expeditions between 1900-1916, he compiled a huge collection of material including manuscripts, paintings, textiles and other artefacts; all of which were carefully documented and published in three reports. His adventures cost him his favourite pony and his toes to frostbite but the contribution he made to our understanding of this material is incalculable and his expedition reports are still in constant use today by academics researching and cataloging the material he brought back.
Stein's original material was divided between London (the British Museum and the India Office Library) and India (National Museum, New Delhi), whose government had provided co-sponsorship for his expeditions. The British Library now holds the India Office Library material and textual materials from the British Museum. Textiles brought to Britain are now housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. His papers, including his expedition diaries, letters, account books are largely housed in the Western Manuscript Department of the Bodleian Library, Oxford.
In addition hundreds of other men, representing cultures and countries from around the world have travelled the Silk Road between these dates and into contemporary times. They have shared in great discoveries over many centuries and can tell us much about Silk Road history.
Why not carry out research into explorers from your own country who have shaped what we know and understand about Silk Road History? Use the link below to discover the names of explorers from all over Europe who traveled on the Silk Road.
The Silk Road Foundation Website
(Follow links to Studies/Dunhuang/Travellers & Sven Hedin)
Buddhist Travellers on the Silk Road
Further information on these men may be found through IDP's British Collections page, searching in Google or on the Wikipedia website