Excavated seal unveils owner of ancient tomb in northwest China

A small silver seal has unveiled the likely owner of Xuewei Tomb No 1, a 1,250-year-old tomb in China’s northwest Qinghai province. Discovered in November 2020, scans on the seal revealed the Tibetan saying “seal of nephew Azha King” carved into it. Researchers said this identifies the likely owner as Mohe Tuhun Khan, the son of a princess of the Tibetan Tubo Kingdom (618-842), who became the king of the “Azha” tribe. “Azha” is the name used by the Tubo Kingdom for the Tuyuhun, a Chinese minority tribe that ruled Qinghai for 350 years from the 4th to 7th centuries.