Ancient City of Akspiri

Ancient City of Akspiri

The Ancient City of Akspiri is a cultural tourism attraction.

Guide The ancient city is located on the edge of the desert, 17 kilometers west of Luopu County in Hotan, and 3 kilometers east of the Zuolawu Oasis in Hanggui Township. "Akspiri," meaning "White Castle" or "White Wall" in Uyghur, is the name given to the city after it was abandoned. Introduction Most of the ancient city is buried under drifting sand. Currently, only a section of the northern wall remains, while the other three walls have vanished without a trace. The wall is curved, with the surviving section about 100 meters long, 2.60 meters high, and 1.80 meters thick. The wall was built with adobe bricks. The base of the bricks bears carved symbols resembling writing, which were made by fingers or tree branches. The wall has two sections: the lower part is wider, allowing guards inside the city to patrol around, and the upper part is a parapet with a row of evenly spaced square lookout holes used for observation and defense. Due to years of wind erosion, the ancient city now lies about 4–5 meters below the original ground level outside the wall.

The surrounding area of the Ancient City of Akspiri contains a vast expanse of historical ruins. The actual ruins of the city are only located on the eastern side of this area. The site lies within a desert covered with continuous sand dunes, stretching approximately 5–6 kilometers from east to west and over 20 kilometers from north to south. It borders the Yulongkashi Oasis to the south, Hanggui Township to the east, Jiya Township to the west, and extends deep into the desert to the north. On the lowlands between the sand dunes in this desert area, pottery fragments are scattered everywhere, and house foundations as well as field channels are clearly visible. Early written records about these ruins in Chinese can be found in the early Republican-era book “Travels in Xinjiang,” which states: “The area is covered with undulating sand dunes, resembling a coiling dragon as far as the eye can see. It is said to be an ancient military encampment. Some even claim it to be the capital of the Kingdom of Khotan. Broken walls are occasionally exposed, and when the sand shifts, the outlines of buildings become visible, with furnishings and even large quantities of valuable items still in place.”

In 1957, the ancient city was designated as a Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the People's Government of the Autonomous Region.

Hotan, Xinjiang

Hanggui Town: (1) Geographic Location

Hanggui Township is located 7 kilometers north of Luopu County. It neighbors Doru Township to the east, borders the Rehamanpuer Canal to the south with Luopu Town, connects to Qiaerbage Township to the west, and reaches the Taklamakan Desert to the north. It stretches approximately 16 kilometers from north to south and 7 kilometers from east to west, covering a total area of 112 square kilometers. In 2003, the township had 72,879 mu of cultivated land. Hanggui Township experiences frequent sandstorms throughout the year, with low annual rainfall and snowfall. The average temperature is 11.5 degrees Celsius, the average precipitation is 34.5 millimeters, and the frost-free period lasts 212 days. The area suffers from severe water shortages.

(2) Population

Hanggui Township administers 3…… More details about Hanggui Town++