Afrasiab painted chamber
Type:
Wall paintings
Date:
ca. 660
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Uzbekistan
Description:
These Sogdian wall paintings in an aristocratic residence at Afrasiab run along the four walls of a reception hall. On the western wall is a procession in which Turks escort delegations from East Asia, including China and Korea, some of whom bear gifts (possibly for King Varkhuman). On the south wall are Nowruz (new year's) festivities, which involved animal sacrifice (hence the four geese). Women and men ride horses, camels, and an elephant toward a royal ancestral mausoleum. The north wall represents a Chinese dragon-boat festival (possibly with the Chinese empress and her retinue) and a group of riders hunting wild cats. Although the east wall is extremely deteriorated, it shows signs of individuals in Indian clothing. On the whole, the wall painting celebrates the trans-regional reach of Sogdiana.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
3
Repository and Online Resources:
• Learn more about these and other Sogdian wall paintings on the website of the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian
Institution.
• Listen to a lecture by Dr. Judith Lerner about Sogdian traders on the Silk Routes.
Image Credits:
Linda Safran
