Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties There is evidence of habitation in the area as early as 2,000 BC, possibly by people recorded as the
Qiang in Chinese history. According to
Zuo Zhuan and
Book of the Later Han, the Dunhuang region was a part of the ancient Guazhou, which was known for its production of melons. Its name was also mentioned in relation to the homeland of the
Yuezhi in the
Records of the Grand Historian. Some have argued that this may refer to the unrelated
toponym Dunhong – the archaeologist Lin Meicun has also suggested that
Dunhuan may be a Chinese name for the
Tukhara, a people widely believed to be a Central Asian offshoot of the Yuezhi.
Warring States period During the
Warring States period, the inhabitants of Dunhuang included the Dayuezhi people, Wusun people, and Saizhong people (Chinese name for Scythians). As Dayuezhi became stronger, it absorbed the Qiang tribes.
Han dynasty By the third century BC, the area became dominated by the
Xiongnu, but came under Chinese rule during the
Han dynasty after
Emperor Wu defeated the Xiongnu in 121 BC. Dunhuang was one of the four frontier
garrison towns (along with
Jiuquan,
Zhangye, and
Wuwei) established by the Emperor Wu after the defeat of the Xiongnu, and the Chinese built fortifications at Dunhuang and sent settlers there. The name Dunhuang, meaning "Blazing Beacon", refers to the beacons lit to warn of attacks by marauding nomadic tribes. Dunhuang Commandery was probably established shortly after 104 BC. Located in the western end of the
Hexi Corridor near the historic junction of the
Northern and Southern
Silk Roads, Dunhuang was a town of military importance."The Great Wall was extended to Dunhuang, and a line of fortified beacon towers stretched westwards into the desert. By the second century AD, Dunhuang had a population of more than 76,000 and was a key supply base for caravans that passed through the city: those setting out for the arduous trek across the desert loaded up with water and food supplies, and others arriving from the west gratefully looked upon the mirage-like sight of Dunhuang's walls, which signified safety and comfort. Dunhuang prospered on the heavy flow of traffic. The first Buddhist caves in the Dunhuang area were hewn in 353."
Sui dynasty and Tang dynasty During the
Sui (581–618) and
Tang (618–907) dynasties, it was the main stop of communication between ancient China and the rest of the world and a major hub of commerce of the Silk Road. Dunhuang was the intersection city of all three main Silk Routes (north, central, and south) during this time. From the West also came early
Buddhist monks, who had arrived in China by the
1st century, and a sizable Buddhist community eventually developed in Dunhuang. The caves carved out by the monks, originally used for meditation, developed into a place of worship and pilgrimage called the
Mogao Caves or "
Caves of a Thousand Buddhas." Several Christian, Jewish, and
Manichaean artifacts have also been found in the caves (see for example
Jingjiao Documents), testimony to the wide variety of people who made their way along the Silk Road. The
Sogdians established large merchants colonies. During the time of the
Sixteen Kingdoms,
Li Gao established
Western Liang here in 400. In 405, the capital of the Western Liang was moved from Dunhuang to
Jiuquan. In 421, Western Liang was conquered by
Northern Liang. (618–907)
Buddhist sutra fragment from Dunhuang As a frontier town, Dunhuang was fought over and occupied at various times by non-Han people. After the fall of the
Han dynasty, it came under the rule of various nomadic tribes, such as the
Xiongnu during the Northern Liang and the
Tuoba during
Northern Wei. The
Tibetan Empire occupied Dunhuang when Tang China became weakened considerably by the
An Lushan Rebellion; and even though it was later returned to Tang rule, it was under quasi-autonomous rule by the local general
Zhang Yichao, who expelled the Tibetans in 848. After the fall of Tang, Zhang's family formed the Kingdom of Golden Mountain in 910, but in 911, it came under the influence of the
Uyghurs. The Zhangs were succeeded by the Cao family, who formed alliances with the Uyghurs and the
Kingdom of Khotan.
Song dynasty During the
Song dynasty, Dunhuang fell outside the Chinese borders. In 1036 the
Tanguts who founded the
Western Xia dynasty captured Dunhuang.
Yuan dynasty Dunhuang was conquered in 1227 by the
Mongols, and became part of the Mongol Empire in the wake of
Kublai Khan's conquest of China under the
Yuan dynasty.
Ming dynasty During the
Ming dynasty, China became a major sea power, conducting several voyages of exploration with sea routes for trade and cultural exchanges. Dunhuang went into a steep decline after the Chinese trade with the outside world became dominated by southern sea routes, and the Silk Road was officially abandoned during the Ming dynasty. It was occupied again by the Tibetans c. 1516, and also came under the influence of the
Chagatai Khanate in the early sixteenth century.
Qing dynasty Dunhuang was retaken by China two centuries later c. 1715, during the
Qing dynasty, and the present-day city of Dunhuang was established east of the ruined old city in 1725.
People's Republic of China In 1988, Dunhuang was elevated from county to county-level city status. Today, the site is an important tourist attraction and the subject of an ongoing archaeological project. A large number of
manuscripts and artifacts retrieved at Dunhuang have been digitized and made publicly available via the
International Dunhuang Project. The spreading
Kumtag Desert, the result of long-standing
overgrazing of the surrounding land, has reached the edges of the city. In 2011 satellite images showing huge structures in the desert near Dunhuang surfaced online and caused a brief media stir. ==Culture==