The Dandan Oilik Ruins

Dandan Oilik Ruins

The Dandan Oilik Ruins are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Guide: The Dandan Oilik Ruins are located in the desert about 90 kilometers north of Damago Township, Cele County, Hotan. They enjoy high visibility and possess a strong mysterious allure, making them a much-desired location for archaeologists and travel adventurers. The site has been listed as a national cultural heritage protection unit. Introduction: In terms of building materials, the remaining walls and temple towers were built using sun-dried mud bricks, some of which also incorporated fired bricks. The houses were constructed from poplar wood, with walls made of woven reeds — tightly bundled reeds tied onto sticks, then coated with a layer of wall mud mixed with chopped straw. Both the interior and exterior of the walls were plastered with white lime and adorned with exquisite murals. The ruins have yielded Buddha statues, murals, pottery, ancient scripts, and gardens composed of rows of poplar, apricot, and plum trees.

The surrounding area features continuous and towering sand dunes, with the ruins situated in a relatively low-lying zone interspersed with dead poplar trunks. Based on the location of the ruins, they may have been an oasis at the terminus of the Damago water system or one formed by a tributary of the Keriya River. Analysis of unearthed artifacts suggests the site likely dates from the Han to Tang dynasties, roughly contemporaneous with the Yotkan Ruins.　

Hotan, Xinjiang

Damago Township: I. Geographic Location

Damago Township in Cele County is located in the southern part of the autonomous region, at the northern foot of the Kunlun Mountains and the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert. It lies in the southeastern part of Cele County, with National Highway 315 running through the township. It borders Yutian County to the east and Gu Lahema Township of Cele County to the west. At an elevation of 1,380 meters, it is 27 kilometers from the county seat, 127 kilometers from Hotan City, the regional capital, and 1,500 kilometers from Urumqi, the capital of the autonomous region.

II. Administrative Divisions and Ethnic Population

Damago Township covers an administrative area of 420 square kilometers and has 17... Detailed information about Damago Township++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units