Facts about The Dunhuang Manuscripts

1. 05

   The oldest dated printed book in the world, the Diamond Sutra of 868 CE, was found among the Dunhuang Manuscripts.

   The Dunhuang ManuscriptsJun 7shareancientprintingbuddhism
2. 04

   A significant portion of the Dunhuang Manuscripts were acquired by British archaeologist Aurel Stein and French sinologist Paul Pelliot in the early 20th century, scattering the collection across international institutions.

   The Dunhuang ManuscriptsJun 7sharehistoryarchaeologymedieval
3. 03

   Many of the Dunhuang Manuscripts are written in languages other than Chinese, including Tibetan, Sanskrit, Sogdian, and Uighur, reflecting the region's role as a Silk Road crossroads.

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4. 02

   Sealed around 1000 CE, the cave containing the Dunhuang Manuscripts was rediscovered in 1900 by a Daoist monk named Wang Yuanlu.

   The Dunhuang ManuscriptsJun 7sharehistoryancientchina
5. 01

   Discovered in a sealed cave at Dunhuang, China, the Dunhuang Manuscripts comprise tens of thousands of documents spanning Buddhist sutras, Taoist texts, and secular writings.

   The Dunhuang ManuscriptsJun 7shareancienthistoryreligion