Khotan Kelims of the Silk Road

This book examines Qushu carpets from the Xinjiang Hotan region using an interdisciplinary approach. Covering Khotan Buddhist culture, Persian artistic influences, and Silk Road exchanges, the study fills a significant gap in research on medieval Western Regions visual texts. It employs a three-tiered framework of “artifact analysis-symbolic decoding-cultural interpretation” to reveal the dual function of Qushu carpets as religious vehicles and media for social memory. Its primary strength lies in the systematic reconstruction of the visual language of the Khotan civilization, a first in the field.

This work addresses the academic community’s need for studies of non-textual historical sources along the Southern Silk Road, providing a new paradigm for Buddhist art history and material culture studies. By deconstructing esoteric Buddhist rituals and creation myths within the patterns, it responds to inquiries in international Dunhuang studies regarding the fusion of diverse beliefs. Additionally, it offers the public a visual pathway to understanding Western Regions civilization, demonstrating both scholarly innovation and cultural dissemination value.