Mikhail D. Bukharin

Institute of World History, R AS, Moscow, Russia

E-mail: vdi@igh.ras.ru

Keywords: history of archaeology, East Turkestan, Archives of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Dunhuang, Turpan, the Second Russian Turkestan expedition, S.F. Oldenburg.

Many issues of the history of the Second Russian Turkestan expedition (1914–1915) under the leadership of Permanent Secretary of the Imperial Academy of Sciences S.F. Oldenburg remain unexplored due to that materials on its arrangement as well as its main outcome, “The Description of caves the Chang Fodung near Dunhuang”, a cave temple complex and an outstanding site of the world culture, have not been published until now. Neither the route, nor chronology of works is known in detail. The article proposes the expedition route with short comments as made by S.F. Oldenburg upon completion of works. It lists all the points where the expedition stopped and worked, the dates of stops throughout the way from Chuguchak to Dunhuang and back to Urumqi are specified. Earlier, some parts of the text have erroneously been attributed as referring to the First Turkestan expedition of 1909–1910. The way to Dunhuang was logically divided into three sections. The work on the major sites of Turpan Oasis (Tojuk-mazar, Senghim, Senghim-agyz, Idikut-shahri, Bezeklik) was conducted on the return way, after the forced end of the works at Dunhuang.

DOI: 10.31857/S086960630004829-0