The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-09-07
ANCIENT CULTURE
IN BURIED CITY
Tale of How Monaghan Town
Fell After Siege.
OLD BOOKS ARE UNEARTHED

city, abandoned by its inhabitants for
centuries and buried ever more deep
~ beneath shifting sands. The rumor
was difficult to verify. Few explorers
penetrated into this wild and desolate
country Finally, in 1907, Russian
scientific expedition, led by Professor
! kozlov, set out with the purpose of
searching for the city, The task was
difficult because the nomadic tribes in
the region were suspicious of strangers
and slow to give information.
Kozlov worked with tact and pa
tience. He employed a Mongolian ia
miliar with the native language to go
about disguised as a merchant in an
effort to get some hint of the city's To-
cation. But the Monaghan was sus-
| pected as an agent of the foreigners
and for long time could obtain no in
| formation. Finally he was compelled
! during a storm to camp near the city
| itself, without being aware of 1t. The
natives regarded this as sign of d.
vine Intervention and made no further
difficulties about guiding him to the
ruins. This was how the dead city of
| Kara-Khoto became known to the out
| side world.
Buried in Sand.
When the Russian exploring party
approached Kara-khoto with their
Monaghan guide they were compelled
to pillow through sand drifts 10 feet
deep. 1t was this sand, together with
the arid climate OF Mongolia, that had
preserved the city's walls and monu-
ments over a period of many centuries.
The neighboring tribesmen, who had
settled near the city ten generations
before, declared that it always had
been there as far back as their rec
ords reached.
The streets and houses of Kara
Khoto have been largely obliterated by
waves of sand. But Kozlov's party
found many interesting memorials in
this Mongolian Pompeii There were
the remains of Buddhist temples and |
Mohammedan mosques. There were |
packages of Chinese paper money, |
bearing grim inscriptions threatening |
counterfeiters with the loss of their |
heads There were silver ornaments |
and money. carefully hidden away by !
the original owners.
The most important discovery of all
was cone-shaped monument outside
the city walls. In this monument was
a library of 1900 books written in
seven Eastern languages. Several
other things found in and about the
city helped to piece out the legend
about the fate of the tribe which for
merly lived there. In the Thirteenth
and Fourteenth centuries, so the legend
ram the Chinese had sent out an army
to capture Kara-Khoto. For several
years they besieged the city in vain.
Then Chinese engineer conceived
the idea of cutting off the water sup
ply. He blocked up with sandbags the
river which formerly flowed through
the city and turned it's course in diff
ferent direction. The people, desperate
with thirst, dug deep well inside the
walls, but failed to get enough water
to sustain life. Then the population
buried all its treasures. The chief of
the tribe killed his wife and daughter
with his own hand and ordered mass
sortie through breach in the wall.
The doomed tribe rushed out only to
De slaughtered in the open by the SUI
1erior forces of the Chinese.
Traces Bear Out Legend.
This grim legend was borne out by :
discoveries of the explorers They :
ound that a nearby river had been =
diverted from its channel :
And the wall of the city had q large
reach, |. ~ which the last des- :
'erate sortie l.. well have been !,
made.
The Russians found in the lnnnu- n
nent many signs of high culture ON
he part of the former Inhabitants :
here were books in Persian, Arabic
nd Hindoo script, as well as volumes
4 Monaghan and Chinese There was c
collection of more than three hun
red sacred Buddhist pictures painted
n backgrounds of cloth and silk. G
here were many statues of Buddhist Il
DDS and goddesses. Traces of former b
annals were found in the city. II
After thoroughly exploring Kara t
.hoto and its surroundings KozlOv
uried the less portable treasures and n
1t out to discover Kookoonor a lake II
the vicinity which it was said no W
hite man had ever seen, although ! a
rench and German explorers had ly
led to reach it The nomads who tt
we'd about the lake made every effort
prevent the travellers from launch Ell
g boat on it. They declared that 81
e waters of Kookoonor were under a b
ysterious spell, that every boat al
ould he irresistibly drawn TO the bot
m.
Notwithstanding these warnings,
me of the members of the party en- til
rkad Thpy wara cauoht II, n boayv | 70
Orm the first night. and the natives Y,
ere certain that the wrath of the de
dis had been aroused. But the boat ia
the storm safely; and a w;
yrocket announced the arrival of the OF
rty on the other side to the relief f.
Kozloy and the Amusement of the H
ongolians. who had never seen any
ing of the kind before We