The eastern section of the Northern Range forms the natural northern boundary of Great Tibet; for although an extensive region farther north is included on the maps as part of Tibet, it is really inhahited by wandering, independent tribes, called Hor and Sok.[1] Tibetan influence, so far as we yet: know, is here confined to the route to Rudok and the Thok Jalung gold’ | fields? and to a few monasteries in the mountains and on the banks of Lake Tengri-nor, although Tibetan sovereignty must be considered as extending to the Kuen-lun Mountains. 'This lofty region is almost entirely unknown to Europeans, except. _ through the Laisa surveys? It is drained by streams flowing: into a system of inland lakes, and its elevation above the sea has only been ascertained at three points, Mr. Johnson, in his journey to Khotan, entered the region of inland drainage by the _ Chang-chenmo pass, and found the height of the Lingtsi plain — to be 17,000 feet. The Pundit of 1867 found the gold mines of © Thok J alung, which are on this lofty plateau, to be 16,830 feet; and Colonel Montgomerie’s explorer of 1872 reached the shores _ of Lake Tengri-nor, and ascertained its height to be 15,000 feet above the sea. The great Northern Chain of the Himalayan system, called the Karakorum Range in its western section, ig here known as the Ninjinthangla or Nyenchhen-tang-la Moun- tains, and separates the inland system of lakes from the basin of the Brahmaputra. ‘To the westward it commences at the famous central peak or knot called Kailas* by the Hindus, and Gangri by the Tibetans, which is 22,000 feet above the sea.
- The northern slopes of the range |
are reported to contain a whole string — of gold fields, extending from the. meridian of Lhasa to that of Rudok, |
- See p. xi for some account of this
survey.
- On the map of D’Anyille, in Du
Halde, it is called Aentaisse,
- ↑ Horsok is the name given by the Tibotans to the whole region between the Northern Himélayan Range (Nyenchhén-thangla) and the Kuen-lun. It is inhabited by two distinct races, called Hor and Sok: Horpa is the western half of this region, and Sokpa the eastern half, as well as part of Sokyeul, round the Kokonor Lake. They are all styled Khéchhén (Muhammadans) by the Tibetans. Sokyeul is the same as Tangut. The Hor are Turks, and the Sok are of Mongol race. Yeul means an encampment, so that Sokyeul is the encampment of the Soks or Mongols.
