It was vital for the both military and merchants that the roads be kept clear and safe all along the Silk Road. In this early ninth-century Khotanese document General Sudārrjuṃ is acting after an official inspection tour has reported the roads around Pa’ and Birgaṃdara (in the area of the ‘Six Villages’) as being in very bad condition. He orders the official Sāṃdara to get repairs done immediately. A party of ten men are to transport loads of reeds there and use them to fill the holes. They are to work there until the repairs are completed.
Ink on paper
The British Library,
Or.11344/3