(阿斯塔那古墓区; Āsītǎnà Gǔmùqū Astana; ¥40; h9.30am-8pm summer, 10.30am-6pm winter)
The small Uighur village of Astana contains this ancient imperial cemetery, chiefly of interest for the mummies you normally see in museums in the exact positions in which they were discovered. However, as just one of the three subterranean graves you can visit on the walking tour contains mummies, it may well seem an expensive visit. The most interesting finds are now in museums in Ürümqi and Turpan. There's a colourful Friday bazaar in the village.
Karez SystemMUSEUM
(坎儿井; Kǎn'ěrjǐng ¥40)
This museum is dedicated to the uniquely Central Asian–style irrigation system that includes hundreds of kilometres of above and underground canals, wells and reservoirs, much of it still working.
Flaming MountainsMOUNTAIN
(火焰山; Huǒyàn Shān ¥40)
Near the Bezeklik Caves in Turpan are the Flaming Mountains, which appear at midday like multicoloured tongues of fire. The Flaming Mountains were immortalised in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, in which Sun Wukong (the Monkey King) used his magic fan to extinguish the blaze.
There’s no need to pay the entry fee at the touristy official viewpoint, as you can see the mountains anywhere on the dramatic drives to the Bezeklik Cave Complex, Gāochāng and Tuyoq.
Jiāohé Ruins
oJiāohé RuinsRUINS
(交河故城; Jiāohé Gù Chéng ¥70)
Also called Yarkhoto, Jiāohé was established by the Chinese as a garrison town during the Han dynasty. It’s one of the world’s largest (6500 residents once lived here), oldest (1600 years old) and best-preserved ancient cities, inspiring with its scale, setting and palpable historical atmosphere. Get an overview of the site at the central governor’s complex, then continue along the main road past a large monastery to a 'stupa grove' with a 10m-tall pagoda surrounded by 100 smaller pagoda bases.
While far busier than the similar ruins at Gāochāng, these are definitely the most impressive of the two, mainly due to the sheer number of surviving structures and the dramatic location, on a hillside with dramatic views in all directions. The ruins are 8km west of Turpan and can easily be visited by public transport. Take bus 101 (¥1) to its terminal station Yàěr Xiāng (亚尔乡) and then a minibus (¥2) or taxi (¥15). It’s also possible to cycle here from Turpan.
Tuyoq
TuyoqVILLAGE
(吐峪沟; Tǔyùgōu ¥30)
Set in a green valley fringed by the Flaming Mountains, this mud-brick village offers a fascinating glimpse of traditional Uighur life and architecture. It has been a pilgrimage site for Muslims for centuries, as on the hillside above is the Hojamu Tomb, a mazar (a tomb of a saint or holy), said to hold the first Uighur to convert to Islam. The mazar is not open to non-Muslims. The rest of the village is great for strolling.
Gāochāng
GāochāngRUINS
(高昌故城; Gāochāng Gù Chéng ¥30)
Dating from the 1st century, Gāochāng rose to power during the Tang dynasty in the 7th century. Also known as Khocho, or sometimes Karakhoja, Gāochāng became the Uighur capital in AD 850 and was a major staging post on the Silk Road until it burnt in the 14th century. Though the earthen city walls, once 12m thick, are clearly visible, not much else is left standing other than a large Buddhist monastery in the southwest. Its 30km from Turpan.
Bezeklik Cave Complex
oBezeklik Cave ComplexCAVE
(柏孜克里克千佛洞; Bózīkèlǐkè Qiānfó Dòng ¥40)
This cave complex, which dates from the 6th to 14th century, has a fine location in a mesmerising desert landscape. Bezeklik means ‘Place of Paintings’ in Uighur and the murals painted in the 11th century represented a high point in Uighur Buddhist art. Sadly, German, Japanese and British teams removed most of the site's distinctive cave art in the early 20th century, and only a few caves can be entered today. However, the location is gorgeous and well worth the trip.
Hāmì 哈密
%0902 / Pop 472,000
Hāmì (哈密; Kumul in the Uighur language), with its famously sweet melons, was a much-anticipated stop on the Silk Road for ancient travellers. It's still worth a break today, with its green and well-kept city centre and a few interesting sights that can keep you busy for a day if you're travelling between Turpan and Dūnhuáng.
The main sights are located together, near the main bus station and 5km south of the train station; a taxi between the two is about ¥10.
oHāmì Kings MausoleumTOMB
(哈密王陵; Hāmì Wánglíng Huancheng Lu, 环城路 adult/student ¥40/20; h9am-8pm Apr-Sep, 10am-7pm Oct-Mar)
The chief reason to visit Hāmì is for this wonderfully serene complex of tombs containing the nine generations of Hāmì kings who ruled the region from 1697 to 1930. The blue- and green-tiled main tomb is the resting place of the seventh king, Muhammed Bixir, with family members and government ministers housed in Mongolian-style buildings to the side. Facing it is the rather garish facade of the Etigar mosque, which has a wonderful colonnaded interior.
Barkol LakeLAKE
(巴里坤湖; Bālǐkūn Hú )
If the summer heat of Hāmì is unbearable, take a day trip out to the cooler climes of Barkol Lake (Bālǐkūn Hú), on the north side of the Tiān Shān. Kazakh herders set up their yurts here in summer and offer horse riding for ¥10 per hour. Sadly it's not possible to swim, but the bucolic setting and views are well worth the trip.
To reach the yurts, first take a bus from Hāmì’s central bus station to Bālǐkūn town (¥25, three hours, hourly between 8.30am and 5.30pm). From Bālǐkūn it’s 16km to the yurts. A return taxi starts at ¥50. Along the route from Hāmì, keep an eye out for the remains of ancient beacon towers slowly disintegrating by the roadside.
Hāmì MuseumMUSEUM
(哈密博物馆; Hāmì Bówùguǎn Huancheng Lu, 环城路 h9.30am-7pm Tue-Sun)F
Across from the Hāmì Kings Mausoleum, this mildly interesting three-floor museum spotlights mummies and dinosaurs found in the region, including several impressively preserved fossilised nests of dinosaur eggs, and, for a reason we were unable to glean, an enormous display of plastic food. Sadly there's almost no English signage.
Hāmì HotelHOTEL$$
(哈密宾馆; Hāmì Bīnguǎn %0902 223 9206; www.hamihotel.com; 4 Yingbin Lu, 迎宾路4号 r ¥228-988; aiW)
This enormous hotel complex is Hāmì's tourist mainstay. Set in verdant grounds in the centre of town, it's focused on a fancy high-rise building with a lobby worthy of a five-star hotel. Upstairs, the rooms don't quite live up to that promise, but they are spacious and modern. The cheaper rooms are in the smaller blocks in the grounds.
There are four restaurants here, as well as a cafe (Fashion Drink) in the lobby that does espresso and baked goods.
oMiss Chen's Pizza HousePIZZA$$$
(陈小姐的披萨小屋; Chén Xiǎojiě de Pīsà Xiǎowū %0902 726 7521; Qianjin Donglu, 前进东路 pizza ¥50-100; h10am-11pm; W)
A young and friendly English-speaking team run this pizza joint, in perhaps the least likely culinary find in Hāmì. The pizzas (on an English-language menu) are handmade, and include the delicious Pannodo (basil, garlic, onion and pepper). From the train station, turn left onto the main road and Miss Chen's is 1.3km away, on your left. There's an English sign.
8Information
A Bank of China (中国银行; Zhōngguó Yínháng Guangchang Beilu) is located just north of the main square (Shídài Guǎngchǎng).
8Getting There & Around
Hāmì is now on the high-speed rail network, connecting it with Ürümqi (1st/2nd class ¥196/164, three hours) and Turpan (1st/2nd class ¥137/121, two hours). For some ticket sites you'll need to use Hāmì's other name, Kumul.
Long-distance buses depart from the south bus station (南郊客运站; nánjiāo kèyùnzhàn), located 200m east of the Hāmì Kings Mausoleum. For services to Dūnhuáng, try to buy a ticket one day in
advance.
ADūnhuáng ¥78, irregular times, usually one or two buses a day originating in Ürümqi
ATurpan ¥89, six hours, 9.30am
AÜrümqi ¥90 to ¥105, nine hours, three daily
Local bus number 3 (¥1) runs from outside the train station through the centre of the city to the south bus station via the Hāmì Hotel and the museums.
Kuqa 库车
%0997 / Pop 76,000
The ancient town of Kuqa (库车; Kùchē), once a major centre of Buddhism and now a largely Han Chinese–dominated modern city, is worth a stopover between Ürümqi and Kashgar for its bazaar, old town and some interesting excursions to the surrounding desert ruins.
The once thriving city-state, known as Qiuci, Kuqa was famed in Tang-era China for its music and dancers. Kumarajiva (AD 344–413), the first great translator of Buddhist sutras from Sanskrit into Chinese, was born here to an Indian father and Kuqean princess, before later being abducted to central China to manage translations of the Buddhist canon. When the 7th-century monk Xuan Zang passed through nearby Subashi, he recorded that two enormous 30m-high Buddha statues flanked Kuqa’s western gate, and that the nearby monasteries housed more than 5000 monks.
1Sights
Sunday BazaarMARKET
(老成巴扎; Lǎochéng Bāzā h8am-4pm Sun)
Every Sunday, a large bazaar is held next to the bridge over the Kuqa River on Renmin Lu, which leads into the Uighur Old Town – about 2.5km west of the modern town. The market is no rival to Kashgar’s, but you won’t find any tour buses here. A small livestock market also takes place here on Fridays.
Rasta MosqueMOSQUE
(热斯坦清真寺; Rèsītǎn Qīngzhēn Sì Resitan Lu, 热斯坦路 )
The charmingly painted Rasta Mosque, about 2.5km west of the modern town, draws a throng of worshippers at Friday lunchtime. The rest of the time it's quietly neglected and you're welcome to wander into its courtyard.
Great MosqueMOSQUE
(清真大寺; Qīngzhēn Dàsì off Paha Tabaza Lu, 帕哈塔巴扎路 ¥15)
Kuqa's Great Mosque, rebuilt in 1932 on the site of a 16th-century original, is the second largest in Xīnjiāng. (The largest is the Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar.) It's a wonderfully quiet and meditative space, with a huge and ornately painted colonnaded prayer hall that makes for a pleasant refuge from the heat of the day. There's a small museum with a gift shop on the premises, too, which is mainly worth peeking into for its interesting old-town views.
Maulana Ashiddin MazarTOMB
(默拉纳额什丁麻扎; Mòlānà Éshídīng Māzā Wenhua Donglu, 文化东路 h8am-dusk)F
This timeless green-tiled mosque and tomb of a 13th-century Arabian missionary is surrounded by a sea of graves and overflows with worshippers at Friday lunchtime prayers. It’s a 10-minute walk from central Kuga, along mulberry tree–lined Wenhua Lu.
4Sleeping
oZabay Guest HouseHOSTEL$
(%180 9587 9669, 0997 777 8525; 450 Tianshan Donglu, 天山东路450号 dm ¥45-60 r ¥168-198; iW)
It's quite extraordinary to find this great hostel in fairly remote Kuqa. Run by a young, friendly English-speaking team, it's inside a converted warehouse in a courtyard and is stylishly designed with concrete floors and a minimalist air. The private rooms are all themed, and include a prison cell and a traditional Uighur home, and all rooms have private bathrooms.
The hostel is 4km east of the town centre on the south side of Tianshan Donglu between Changan Lu and Changjiang Lu, and there was no sign when we visited. Taxi drivers will know the nearby Bingsansi gas station: ask for 兵三司加油站 (Bīngsānsī Jiāyóu Zhàn).
Bǎiyuè Boutique HotelBOUTIQUE HOTEL$$
(柏悦精品酒店; Bǎiyuè Jīngpǐn Jiǔdiàn %0997 799 5111; Wuyi Nanlu, 五一南路 r incl breakfast from ¥268; aW)
This recently opened hotel projects a very Chinese vision of what a boutique hotel should be: specifically lots of marble, LEDs and enormous dark-wood and leather-upholstered beds. Decor is staggeringly full-on, though everything is at least new, and so pretty clean, with large bathrooms, flat-screen TVs and a central location. Staff are fairly clueless but mean well.
Kùchē BīnguǎnHOTEL$$
(库车宾馆 %0997 712 2901; 04-1 Jiefang Beilu, 解放北路04-1号 tw incl breakfast from ¥190; aW)
Kuqa’s main tourist hotel has ageing rooms with springy beds, but is otherwise a perfectly decent place to stay. The included breakfast is surprisingly good, and the hotel is centrally located.
5Eating
oUchar Darvaza BazaarMARKET$
(乌恰农货市场; Wūqià Nónghuò Shìchǎng meals from ¥20; h10am-1am)
The best place in Kuga for Uighur food is this street at the junction of Tianshan Zhonglu and Youyi Lu. Kebabs, noodles and samsas (baked mutton pies) are all served hot and fresh, though our favourites are the chicken kebabs served with sombrero-sized local naan. Some stalls start to close at 9pm, others only set up from 10pm.
Xīntián CafeBAKERY$
(心甜咖啡; Xīntián Kāfēi cnr Wuyi Zhonglu & Tianshan Zhonglu, 五一中路天山中路的路口 pastries from ¥5; h10am-10.30pm; W)
This bakery is a great breakfast option, and offers a range of pastries, cakes and sandwiches, as well as good coffee. Upstairs there's a cosy seating area where there are even waffles pizza, chicken wings and steaks on the menu. Look for the 'Heart Sweet Coffee' sign.
Chóngqìng Lǎotàipó Tāntān MiànNOODLES$
(重庆老太婆摊摊面 Wuyi Nanlu, 五一南路 mains ¥15-20; h8.30am-1am)
This cheap and cheerful noodle bar serves up a range of simple dishes in the Chóngqìng style (read: very spicy). It has a pictorial menu, friendly staff and cheap, cold beer, a rarity in these parts.
8Information
Bank of ChinaBANK
(中国银行; Zhōngguó Yínháng 25 Wenhua Lu; h9.30am-6.30pm Mon-Fri)
One of several Banks of China along Wenhua Lu. Has an ATM. Travellers cheques are not accepted.
8Getting There & Away
The small airport, 35km west of the city, has four daily flights to Ürümqi (from ¥360, one hour) on China Southern and Tiānjīn Airlines. A taxi there costs around ¥30.
The bus station (%0997 712 2379; Tianshan Zhonglu) has a variety of sleepers heading east. There is currently no direct bus service to Kashgar; you'll need to take a bus to Aksu and change there, or take a direct train.
AAksu ¥66, four hours, hourly; connect here for regular buses to Kashgar (¥128, six hours)
AHotan ¥171, 10 hours, noon and 3.30pm
AÜrümqi ¥180 to ¥200, 14 hours, seven daily (one at noon, the others in the evening)
The train station is southeast of the centre. A taxi costs ¥10.
AKashgar hard/soft sleeper ¥164/239, 8½ to 12 hours, four daily
AÜrümqi hard/soft sleeper ¥194/285, nine to 14 hours, six daily
8Getting Around
Taxi rides are a standard ¥5 per trip within the town centre, with pedicabs, tractors and donkey carts around half this.
Around Kuqa
Kizil Thousand Buddha CavesCAVE
(克孜尔千佛洞; Kèzī’ěr Qiānfó Dòng ¥70; h10.30am-7pm)
Seventy-five kilometres northwest of Kuqa, this is the largest Buddhist cave-art site in Xīnjiāng. One of the main reasons to come here is for the incredible landscapes you see along the way: bleak and empty jagged mountains on either side of the road make for haunting views. The site itself is impressive, although sadly only a handful of the 236 caves can be visited and the once dazzling wall art has been largely destroyed by 'archaeologists' and religious zealots.
The interior murals date from the 3rd to the 8th centuries and, as ancient Kuqa was an ethnically diverse place, artisans were inspired by Afghan, Persian and Indian motifs and styles. The heavy use of blue pigment in middle-period murals is a Persian influence, for example, with only the last phase showing any Chinese influence. Each cave is generally built the same way, with two chambers
and a central vaulted roof. The roof contains murals of the Buddha's past lives (so-called Jātaka tales) and, unique to Kizil, the pictures are framed in diamond-shaped patterns. Several caves were stripped bare by German archaeologist Albert Von le Coq in the early 20th century, only for the treasures to be destroyed during WWII – as you will hear if you take a free guided tour (in Chinese only). Note the richly decorated roof of Cave 8, where the Buddha's golden robes have been systematically removed over the centuries.
Private transfer is the only way to get here, and a return taxi will cost around ¥250 and takes 90 minutes each way. Most people combine the trip with one to Sūbāshí, even though you have to return to Kuqa between the two sights. Reckon on paying ¥350 for both.
SūbāshíRUINS
(苏巴什故城 ¥25; h10am-8pm)
Sūbāshí was a Buddhist complex that thrived from the 3rd to 13th centuries. It's less visited than other ancient cities in Xīnjiāng, but with its starkly beautiful desert setting, it's worth the trip – Sūbāshí is a 23km trip northeast of Kuga. There are a number of buildings that you visit, though the best preserved one is the pagoda on the far side of the ruins (the main path takes you there), where brickwork and some decoration can still be seen.
Most people just go to the western complex, with its large central vihara (monastery) and two pagodas, but the dramatic eastern complex across the Kuqa River is worth the hike, though it was being renovated at the time of research. A return taxi to Sūbāshí costs about ¥100; you’ll need to pay extra waiting time if you want to visit the eastern ruins.
Lonely Planet China Page 167