''Sabao'' (薩保, ''Sàbǎo'', "Protector, Guardian") was an official Chinese title in the 5th-7th centuries CE, used for government-appointed leaders of the

Sogdia Sogdia (Sogdian language, Sogdian: ) or Sogdiana was an ancient Iranian peoples, Iranian civilization between the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, and in present-day Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Sogdiana was also ...

n immigrant-merchant community. The word ''sabao'' is derived from the Sogdian word ''s’rtp’w'', "caravan leader". Sabaos also often had titles of "Prefects", with regional responsibilities, in the Chinese administration :

An Jia The Tomb of Ān Jiā, also sometimes read Ān Qié ( Chinese: 安伽墓石門圍屏石榻, "Stone tomb gate and couch of Anjia"), is a Northern Zhou period (557-581 CE) funeral monument to a Sogdian nobleman named "Anjia" in the Chinese epitaph. ...

was Sabao and Grand Governor (大都督, Dàdūdū) of Tong Prefecture. They were in charge of commercial affairs for foreign merchants from

Middle Asia Middle or The Middle may refer to: * Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits. Places * Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man * Middle Bay (disambiguation) * Middle Brook (disambiguation) * Middle Creek ( ...

doing businesses in China, as well as Zoroastrian affairs. Various ''Sabaos'' are known from their epitaphs, such as

, Wirkak or Yu Hong. The tombs of the ''Sabaos'' in China are among the most lavish of the period in this country, and are only slightly inferior to Imperial tombs, suggesting that they were among the wealthiest members of the population.

Tombs of Sabaos

File:Tomb of An Jia.jpg,

Tomb of An Jia The Tomb of Ān Jiā, also sometimes read Ān Qié (Chinese language, Chinese: 安伽墓石門圍屏石榻, "Stone tomb gate and couch of Anjia"), is a Northern Zhou period (557-581 CE) funeral monument to a Sogdian nobleman named "Anjia" in the ...

, 579 CE,

Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology () is the official archaeological institute of China's Shaanxi Province. It operates an archaeological museum in Yanta District of Xi'an with a collection of more than 140,000 objects including bronzes, ...

. File:Northern Zhou Dynasty Tomb of Shijun (roof reconstructed).jpg, The

tomb of Wirkak The Tomb of Wirkak (Sogdian language, Sogdian: ''wyrkʾk''), in Chinese commonly referred to as Tomb of Master Shi ( zh, t=史君墓, w=Shih3-Chün1 Mu4, p=Shǐ Jūn Mù), is the grave of the Sogdian ''Sabao'' (Chinese language, Chinese: 薩保, " ...

, 580 CE,

Xi'an City Museum Xi'an Museum () is a museum on Youyi West Road, Beilin District, Xi'an, Beilin District, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China. Xi'an Museum had its official opening on 18 May 2007, "National Museum Day", with a total investment of 220 million RMB and a t ...

File:Tomb of Yu Hong with roof (reconstructed, colored).jpg,

Tomb of Yu Hong The Tomb of Yu Hong ( zh, t=虞弘墓, w=Yü2-Hung2-Mu4, p=Yú Hóng Mù) is the grave of Yu Hong and his wife, dating back to 592 AD ( Sui dynasty). The tomb was discovered by some locals in 1999 in Wangguo village in Jinyuan district of the city ...

, 592 CE,

Shanxi Museum The Shanxi Museum () is the largest museum and cultural building in the province of Shanxi, China. The museum, located in Shanxi's provincial capital Taiyuan, is home to about 400,000 cultural relics and 110,000 old books. Since March 2008, admis ...

References

{{reflist Sogdians Multiculturalism in Asia