Ajina Tepe

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

Ajina tepe

Ajina tepe
View of Ajina-Tepe
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Location	Tajikistan
Coordinates	37.7980°N 68.8544°E / 37.7980; 68.8544
Type	Buddhist cloister

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]

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