Ajina Tepe

37°47′53″N 68°51′16″E / 37.7980°N 68.8544°E / 37.7980; 68.8544TypeBuddhist cloister

Ajina Tepe (Russian: Аджина-Тепе; Tajik: Аҷинатеппа, romanized: Ajinateppa) is a Buddhist monastery cluster located 12 kilometers east of the city of Bokhtar, Tajikistan.

Buddhism in Tokharistan is said to have enjoyed a revival under the Western Turks. Several monasteries dated to the 7th-8th centuries display beautiful Buddhist works of art, such as Kalai Kafirnigan, Ajina Tepe, Khisht Tepe or Kafyr Kala, around which Turkic nobility and populations followed Hinayana Buddhism.[1]

This site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on September 11, 1999 in the Cultural category.[2]

  • Mural from the Buddhist Monastery at Ajinateppe, National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan
    Mural from the Buddhist Monastery at Ajinateppe, National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan
  • Ajina-Tepe Buddhist mural, Tajikistan, 7th-8th century CE
    Ajina-Tepe Buddhist mural, Tajikistan, 7th-8th century CE
  • 13 meter-long sleeping Buddha (Buddha in Nirvana). National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan
    13 meter-long sleeping Buddha (Buddha in Nirvana). National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan
  • Head of the monumental reclining Buddha
    Head of the monumental reclining Buddha
  • Buddha between two stupas, Ajina Tepe, Tajikistan, end of 7th century, early 8th century CE, National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan
    Buddha between two stupas, Ajina Tepe, Tajikistan, end of 7th century, early 8th century CE, National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan
  • Figure of a Prince, Devata or Bodhisattva, Ajina Tepe, Tajikistan, end of 7th century, early 8th century CE, National Museum of Tajikistan.[3]
    Figure of a Prince, Devata or Bodhisattva, Ajina Tepe, Tajikistan, end of 7th century, early 8th century CE, National Museum of Tajikistan.[3]
  • Head of a female, Ajina Tepe, Tajikistan, end of 7th century, early 8th century CE, National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan.[4]
    Head of a female, Ajina Tepe, Tajikistan, end of 7th century, early 8th century CE, National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan.[4]
  • Devotee wearing a caftan, Ajina Tepe, Tajikistan, end of 7th century, early 8th century CE, National Museum of Tajikistan
    Devotee wearing a caftan, Ajina Tepe, Tajikistan, end of 7th century, early 8th century CE, National Museum of Tajikistan

Notes

  1. ^ Baumer, Christoph (18 April 2018). History of Central Asia, The: 4-volume set. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 203–204. ISBN 978-1-83860-868-2.
  2. ^ "Tajikistan- Operational project for the preservation of the Buddhist Monastery of Ajina Tepe". UNESCO. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  3. ^ Harmatta, J.; Litvinsky, B. A. (1996). History of Civilizations of Central Asia (PDF). Unesco. p. 394, Fig.6.
  4. ^ Harmatta, J.; Litvinsky, B. A. (1996). History of Civilizations of Central Asia (PDF). Unesco. p. 397, Fig.9.

References

Buddhistic cloister of Ajina-Tepa - UNESCO World Heritage Centre Accessed 2009-3-3.

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