▲This photo, provided by National Museum of Korea, shows the exhibition "Astana Tombs, A House of Eternity," (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

▲This photo, provided by National Museum of Korea, shows the exhibition "Astana Tombs, A House of Eternity," (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

 

SEOUL, July 16 (Yonhap) -- Astana tombs were found in Turpan, northeast of Xinjiang, China.

Presumed to be a cemetery for the ruling class from the 3rd to 8th centuries, various relics such as wooden and earth dolls, earthenware, food, and documents have been unearthed from over 400 tombs, which have been investigated several times since the early 20th century.

The National Museum of Korea announced on Friday that from Saturday, the “Astana Tombs : A House of Eternity” exhibition will be held in Central Asia Gallery on the 3rd floor of Permanent Exhibition Hall, highlighting the excavated artifacts related to the Astana Tombs.

The exhibition was organized to present to the public the achievements of a survey conducted on artifacts from the Astana tombs in the museum’s Central Asia collection. The exhibited objects were collected by the Otani expedition in the early 20th century.

In the exhibition, each relic is displayed according to the locations they were excavated, such as the room in the tomb and the path.

In particular, “Painting of Fuxi and Nüwa,” which depicts male Fuxi and female Nüwa appearing in the Chinese myth of creation, is hung from the ceiling of the exhibition room to feel the atmosphere inside the tomb.

The figure shows two creators with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a snake.

An official from the museum explained, “Painting of Fuxi and Nüwa” symbolizes the birth of the universe and all things. This painting, which was installed on the ceiling of the room, is presumed to express the desire of the dead to reborn and live abundantly in the afterlife.”

The 'Wooden Trays Used as Funerary Objects' is exhibited in a set referencing the list of items and photographs from the time of the museum’s acquisition, and the 'Figurine of Warrior Riding a Horse ' placed in the room next to the tomb was restored by reassembling fragments

The museum said, “It is hoped that the exhibition will provide visitors with an opportunity to better understand the wishes of the people of the time who hoped that life in this world would continue even after death by meeting artifacts of Turpan Astana tombs, the underground time capsule from 1,300 years ago.”

(This article is translated from Korean to English by Jiwon Woo.)

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[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]