 During the Tibetan Empire, the fort at Mazar Tagh was the main Tibetan military outpost for the Khotan region, performing a similar role to the Tibetan fort at Miran.During the Tibetan occupation, Mazar Tagh, like Miran, was home not only to soldiers but also to their families, civilian officials, and merchants.Aurel Stein wrote of the presence of an Islamic shrine on the hill at the time of his first visit in 1907, and noted modern Turkic name Mazar Tagh means "Hill of the Sacred Shrine".