Blog Entry 5: Dreams and Signs

It’s the middle of night, I had just awoken from a very curious dream. Maybe I’ve spent too much time in the cemeteries lately, ravaging the graves of the dead. I rarely have dreams, but when I do, I like to think that they’re divine in nature, and are possibly revelations of the future. This dream in particular was very vivid, and set me in a familiar yet unfamiliar world. This is why I had to write about it.

               It began at an oasis city, similar to where I am currently staying. Surrounding the city was the desert, and within the city was a diverse population and bustling market (1). But it wasn’t Turfan. I could not find the flaming mountains in the east, and the city was much bigger (2). So, where was I? That was the first question I asked myself. I decided to explore, and without much effort, I noticed a colossal structure at the center of the city. It had two tall towers supporting a grand and decorated entrance (3). Was it a palace that housed the emperor? Or a temple to worship the gods? As I entered, I witnessed many people prostrated, all facing the same direction. I was confused. In front of all these people there was no emperor, nor divine image to worship, just a splendid blue wall, meticulously designed (4). As I gazed upon this wall, as if through some divine power, I was put into a trance, and suddenly, I was laying in the midst of a battlefield.

                A person came to me and said: “Get up Abdel! We have to defend the city from the Naiman, or we will be forced to renounce our faith in Allah!” (5) Abdel… was that my name in this dream? And I’m guessing Allah was the God I now served? And who were these Naiman enemies? There was no time to think as I saw the enemy pressing forward. I stood up, realizing I was in a full panoply of armour, and fought. These Naiman troops we were fighting reminded me a lot of the Xiongnu that terrorized the frontier lands of the Han. Their cavalry and archery, again superior to the defending forces, made it obvious: we were going to lose. Suddenly, I was struck by an arrow, and that when I woke up.

               What could this dream have meant? The religion I encountered did not exist as far as I was concerned, and the Naiman who were so similar to the Xiongnu, I ended up fighting against. Will I be fighting against the Xiongnu again sometime soon? Or was this dream a sign of their military superiority, and a hint to join their side? I was still angry at how the Han treated soldiers on the frontier, and how it was because of their ignorance that an uprising emerged and led to the death of my loved ones.

The sun was beginning to rise, and the first rays penetrating the window pointed towards the corner of my room where I had left my bow and arrow. “Another sign…” I thought. It was then when I had decided. I will be heading towards Xiongnu territory. I told An Qian. Good hearted as always, he gave me a horse for my journey. “Take Epona,” he said, “she’ll be of good use to you. She also seems to have taken a liking to you since our travels began. I know you bear a heavy heart, but please, take care of yourself. The Xiongnu can be vicious, and you’ll need to prove your worth.” And so I left.

(1)   Foltz claims that Muslim populations were dominant in commercial activity in the silk road upon their expansion from the 9^th century.

Foltz 1999 “Religions of the Silk Road” pp. 92.

(2)   Picture. The “flaming mountain” is found on the East of Turfan.

(3)   Inspired by The Grand Mosque of Khotan.

(4)   What he witnessed was a mihrab: a semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla, the direction towards Mecca, and the direction that Muslims face when praying. Muslim tradition forbids any depiction of their God, Allah, and thus calligraphy and geometric art is used instead to reflect the splendor of their God.

Insoll, Timothy, 2001, The archaeology of Islam. In Archaeology and world religion, edited by Timothy Insoll, London: Routledge, pp. 125-126.

(5)   It is from this passage where we could pinpoint the time and place of Fai Cheng’s dream. Küchlük, a Naiman leader (Naiman was a tribe originating form the Mongol steppe), attacked Khotan in 1211.

Valerie Hansen, “The Silk Road – A New History,” (New York: Oxford University Press), p.229.

Note on story and sources

        I added this dream partly to tie it in with the topic of Islamic expansion for this week. Thus, I looked at the city of Khotan in the 12-13^th century, and expose Fai Cheng to some particularities of Islam. Although he does not know the religion, an informed reader could deduct that this dream alludes to Islam due to the non-depiction of their God, the prostration of the believers facing a specific direction, the Mihrab, etc.

        However, this dream is also used to stir up questions within Fai Cheng. In his dream, he encounters another conflict with steppe peoples which remind him of the Xiongnu. We learn that the death of his family is still in his mind, and that this antagonism towards the Han is still present. He interprets this dream as a sign to join the Xiongnu. Moreover, the bow and arrow that An Qian gave him in the previous blog entry, and the horse he gives him now reflects Fai Cheng’s ‘conversion’ to Xiongnu lifestyle.