Ajina Tepe (; ) is a
Buddhist monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which may ...
cluster located 12 kilometers east of the city of
Bokhtar
Bokhtar (), previously known as Qurghonteppa, Kurganteppa and Kurgan-Tyube, is a city in southwestern Tajikistan, which serves as the capital of the Khatlon region. Bokhtar is the largest city in southern Tajikistan, and is located south of Dusha ...
,
Tajikistan
Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...
.
Buddhism in
Tokharistan
Tokharistan (formed from "Tokhara" and the suffix ''-stan'' meaning "place of" in Persian) is a historical name used by Islamic sources in the early Middle Ages to refer to the area which was known as Bactria in Ancient Greek sources.
By the 6 ...
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
Hīnayāna is a Sanskrit term that was at one time applied collectively to the '' Śrāvakayāna'' and '' Pratyekabuddhayāna'' paths of Buddhism.
This term appeared around the first or second century. The Hīnayāna is considered as the prelim ...
Buddhism.
This site was added to the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
Tentative List on September 11, 1999 in the Cultural category.
File:Dushanbe - National Museum of Antiquities - Buddhist Monastery at Ajinateppe.jpg, Mural from the Buddhist Monastery at Ajinateppe, National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan
File:Ajina-Tepe Buddhist mural, Tajikistan, 7th-8th century CE.jpg, Ajina-Tepe Buddhist mural, Tajikistan, 7th-8th century CE
File:Dushanbe - National Museum of Antiquities - Buddhist Monastery at Ajinateppe - Sleeping Buddha (Buddha in Nirvana).jpg, 13 meter-long sleeping Buddha ( Buddha in Nirvana). National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan
File:Tajikistan National Museum of Antiquities (29866065288).jpg, Head of the monumental reclining Buddha
File:Buddha between two stupas, Ajina Tepe, Tajikistan, end of 7th century, early 8th century CE, National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan.jpg, Buddha between two stupas, Ajina Tepe, Tajikistan, end of 7th century, early 8th century CE, National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan
File:Figure of a Prince, Devata or Bodhisattva, Ajina Tepe, Tajikistan, end of 7th century, early 8th century CE, National Museum of Tajikistan.jpg, Figure of a Prince, Devata or Bodhisattva, Ajina Tepe, Tajikistan, end of 7th century, early 8th century CE, National Museum of Tajikistan.
File:Head of a female, Ajina Tepe, Tajikistan, end of 7th century, early 8th century CE, National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan.jpg, Head of a female, Ajina Tepe, Tajikistan, end of 7th century, early 8th century CE, National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan.
Notes
References Buddhistic cloister of Ajina-Tepa - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Accessed 2009-3-3.
External links
{{Authority control
Culture of Tajikistan
Archaeological sites in Tajikistan
Buddhism in Tajikistan