The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-01-25
CITIES: BURIED IN SAND.
ONLY BARE HILLOCKS WHERE BUSY
CAPITALS FLOURISHED.
Buildings Submerged by Advancing
Floods Of Sand-LiVing Persons
Swallowed up with their Homes
Gold and Silver Found
From the London Mdill

During his recent mission to Kashgar,
Sir T. Douglas Forsyth became much in
terested in the buried cities of the Cobb
desert, Eastern Turkestan, which are
now coming to light. In a paper on the
subject Sir Douglas mentions that when
Mr.. johnson returned to India from his
venturesome journey to Khotan, he
brought an account of visit to an ancient
city not far from Kiria, and five marches
distant from Khotan, which had been
buried in the sand for centuries, and from
which gold and silver ornaments and
even bricks often were dug up. Little
information as to these ancient cities
could be gathered during the first visit to
Yarkum in 1870, but more searching in
quiry was made on the occasion of the
second visit three years later, and Marco
Polo is placed at.the head of list of auth.
critics which had been previously con-
suited. Khotan which is supposed by
some to be the limit of Darius's conquest,
was in early ages inhabited by political
exiles from India, 80 that the Hindoe re-
ligion fourished there, and have some
gold ornaments found there, which are
exactly the same as those worn by the
Hindoo women of the present day. In
Remusat's history were read how the
King of Khotan took an army across the
Snowy mountains and attacked the King
of Kashmir, and how. peace was made
between the two countries, and the re-
suit was that certain Rahaus or asCetiCs
brought the Buddhist religion into tie
country, and in the 'Tarikhi Rashidi' we
read how a Christian Queen, wife of
Koshluck, ruled in the land and made
proselytes to her religion"
The shifting sands beneath which many
cities are buried, are those spoken of by
Col: Prejevalsky: "The sands are sue
cession of hillocks, 40, so, rarely 100 feet
high, lying side by side, and composed of
yellow sand. The upper stratum of this
sand, when disturbed by the wind blow
ing on either side ofthe hills, forms loose
drifts, which have the appearance ofsnow
drifts, The effect of these bare hilloCks
is most dreary and depressing when you
are among them, and can see nothing but
the sky and the sand; not plant nor ami
NAL is visible, with the single exception
of yellowish-gray lizards, which trail
their bodies over the loose soil, and mark
it with the patterns Of their tracks. A
dull heaviness oppresses the sense in this
naLimate sea Of sand. No sounds are
heard, not even the chirping of the grass
hopper, the silence of the tomb surrounds
you. No wonder that the local Monguls
relate some marvellous stories about
these frightful deserts. They tell you
that there was the scene of the principle
exploits of two heroes-Gissar Khan and
Chinghiz Khan-and how here these war
rious fought against the Chinese and slew
countless numbers, whose bodies God
used the wind to cover with sand from
the desert. To this day the Monguls re-
late with superstitious awe how cries and
groans may be heard in the sands of
Kugupchi, which proceeds from the spi-
rits of the departed; and that every now
and then the winds which stir up the
sand expose to view, different treasures,
such as silver dishes, which, although
conspicuous above the surface, may not
be taken away, because death would
Immediately overtake the bold man
who ventured to touch them"
In the course Of his journey Sir Douglas
Forsyth passed various post stages, de.
serted owing to the advancing sands, and
tenements, still occupied, at 0ordum Pad
shah, although in course Of submergence,
while the roofs of nighboring buildings
had be n crushed in by the sand. "The
process of subme rgence is usually very
gradual one, until the symmetry of the
dune is so broken by the obstructing OBJ
iect that its loose materials subside and
overwhelm the obstruction. The sand
dunes are formed by the action OF the
periodical north and northwest wind
which blow over the plain during the
spring months" The rate of progress it
was impossible to determine, but the
phenomenon as seen in course of Oper-
alton explained the manner in which
great cities, such as Lop, Katak, and
others in the same territory had been
destroyed in food of sand. Frequently
the inhabitants Of houses, in the desire 70
stay by their homes till the last hour, are
enclosed in living tombs. That this did
actually occur at Katak in many instan-