The Forest of Steles, Xi'an Bei Lin, is located in the Confucian Temple at the foot of the city wall. The museum includes a range of artifacts illustrating the history of the Silk Road, but it is most famous for its collection of 2300 large engraved stone tablets (steles) from the Han dynasty ranging through to the Qing dynasty. The steles are valued not just for their historical interest, but for the inspirational examples of calligraphy on many of them. Among the most important exhibits are the 114 Tang dynasty Stone Classics of Kaichen, inscribed with ancient classics and historical records. Another item of great interest is the Stele of Daiqin Nestorianism, which was engraved in 781 AD, is inscribed with a Nestorian cross, and records the building of a Nestorian Church. (Nestorianism was a Christian sect which flourished along the Silk Road between the 6th and the 9th centuries.)
The museum also offers hand-carved individual name seals (''chops'') which will be carved for you on order.
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