Cat 282: Grave siting

The plain between the old city of Dunhuang and the Mogao caves was used as a graveyard from the fourth century but one of the largest and most excavated sites is Astana north of Gaochang city. In Chinese beliefs the placing and orientation of the tomb was important and this ninth-century manuscript is a geomantic treatise dealing with the positioning of graves and illustrated with diagrams. The verso of the manuscript contains several texts, including one entitled 'Notes on Sepulture'.

Ink on paper
The British Library, Or.8210/S.2263