A Silk Road Oasis: Life in Ancient Dunhuang

Location

British Library
96 Euston Road
London
NW1 2DB

Description

This exhibition runs from Monday 30th September 2024 to Sunday 23rd February 2025.


The oasis of Dunhuang, at the edge of the Gobi Desert, was once a bustling town on the famous Silk Road connecting China and the Mediterranean. Discover the personal stories of those who lived, travelled through, worked, and worshipped here more than 1,000 years ago. Explore an astonishing time capsule that opens windows onto the intimate worlds of artists and scribes, merchants and fortune-tellers, diplomats, Buddhists and nuns.

Named “Blazing Beacon” after the watchtowers along its walls, Dunhuang was once a vital meeting point at the gateway to China. The routes that converged here ran through Constantinople in the West and Japan in the East. But there was more to this verdant oasis than trade. For over 1000 years, Dunhuang was also an important pilgrimage site, a cultural melting pot where ideas, technologies and art flowed freely.

This exhibition provides a rare glimpse into the ordinary lives of people long ago through the remarkable contents of the Library Cave, part of the Buddhist cave complex of Mogao, where a wealth of manuscripts, documents and artworks remained sealed for nearly 900 years. Detailing life in and around Dunhuang during the first millennium CE, the documents include personal letters and wills encompassing multiple languages, faiths and cultures including Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism and Christianity; and span topics as diverse as literature, astronomy, medicine, politics and art.

Prices

Standard Ticket: £8

Contact and Booking Details

More information at this website.

Reserve tickets at this website

Upcoming Dates

This exhibition runs from Monday 30th September 2024 to Sunday 23rd February 2025.

Forthcoming dates:

Sun 9th Feb 2025 
(9:30am to 4:30pm)
Mon 10th Feb 2025 
(9:30am to 4:30pm)
Tue 11th Feb 2025 
(9:30am to 4:30pm)
Wed 12th Feb 2025 
(9:30am to 4:30pm)
Thu 13th Feb 2025 
(9:30am to 4:30pm)
Fri 14th Feb 2025 
(9:30am to 4:30pm)
Sat 15th Feb 2025 
(9:30am to 4:30pm)
Sun 16th Feb 2025 
(9:30am to 4:30pm)
Mon 17th Feb 2025 
(9:30am to 4:30pm)

Disclaimer

The information and prices in this listing are presumed to be correct at the time of publishing, but please always check with the venue before making a special trip.

All images are supplied by the exhibition organiser.

British Library
96 Euston Road
London
NW1 2DB

Map

This exhibition runs from Monday 30th September 2024 to Sunday 23rd February 2025.

This event runs over several days/weeks. Dates include:

September 2024

October 2024

November 2024

December 2024

January 2025

February 2025