''Sabao'' (薩保, ''Sàbǎo'', "Protector, Guardian") was an official Chinese title in the 5th-7th centuries CE, used for government-appointed leaders of the

Sogdia Sogdia ( Sogdian: ) or Sogdiana was an ancient Iranian civilization between the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, and in present-day Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Sogdiana was also a province of the Achaemenid Em ...

n immigrant-merchant community. The word ''sabao'' is derived from the Sogdian word ''s’rtp’w'', "caravan leader". Sabaos also often had titles of "Prefects", with regional responsibilities, in the Chinese administration :

An Jia The Tomb of Ān Jiā, also sometimes read Ān Qié ( Chinese: 安伽墓石門圍屏石榻, "Stone tomb gate and couch of Anjia"), is a Northern Zhou period (557-581 CE) funeral monument to a Sogdian nobleman named "Anjia" in the Chinese epitaph. ...

was Sabao and Grand Governor (大都督, Dàdūdū) of Tong Prefecture. They were in charge of commercial affairs for foreign merchants from

Middle Asia Middle or The Middle may refer to: * Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits. Places * Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man * Middle Bay (disambiguation) * Middle Brook (disambiguation) * Middle Creek ( ...

doing businesses in China, as well as Zoroastrian affairs. Various ''Sabaos'' are known from their epitaphs, such as

, Wirkak or

Yu Hong Yu Hong (; born 1966) is a Chinese contemporary artist. Her works characteristically portray the female perspectives in all stages of life and the relationship between the individual and the rapid social changes taking place in China. She works pri ...

. The tombs of the ''Sabaos'' in China are among the most lavish of the period in this country, and are only slightly inferior to Imperial tombs, suggesting that they were among the wealthiest members of the population.

Tombs of Sabaos

File:Tomb of An Jia.jpg, Tomb of An Jia, 579 CE, Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology. File:Northern Zhou Dynasty Tomb of Shijun (roof reconstructed).jpg, The

tomb of Wirkak The Tomb of Wirkak ( Sogdian: ''wyrkʾk''), in Chinese commonly referred to as Tomb of Master Shi ( zh, t=史君墓, w=Shih3-Chün1 Mu4, p=Shǐ Jūn Mù), is the grave of the Sogdian '' Sabao'' ( Chinese: 薩保, "Protector, Guardian", derived fro ...

, 580 CE, Xi'an City Museum File:Tomb of Yu Hong with roof (reconstructed, colored).jpg, Tomb of Yu Hong, 592 CE, Shanxi Museum.

References

{{reflist Sogdians Multiculturalism in Asia