Ruins of the Tang Dynasty "Yezheguan" (Envoy's Lodge)

Ruins of the Tang Dynasty "Yezheguan" (Envoy's Lodge)

The ruins of the Tang Dynasty "Yezheguan" (Envoy's Lodge) are a cultural tourism attraction.

Ruins of the Tang Dynasty "Yezheguan" (Envoy's Lodge)

The ruins of the Tang Dynasty "Yezheguan" (Envoy's Lodge) are located about 92 kilometers northeast of the county seat. To the south, they are approximately 32 kilometers from the ancient site of Lakzi Salai, and to the north, about 50 kilometers from Aqia in Keping County. They were newly discovered in 1983 by the Comprehensive Survey Team for Key Cultural Relics Archaeology in Southern Xinjiang Counties, jointly formed by the Cultural Relics Bureau of the Ministry of Culture and the Xinjiang Museum, in Bachu County. The structure is a small castle covering an area of about 384 square meters, situated on a central plateau surrounded by flat terrain. To the southeast of the castle lies a watchtower, with a remaining height of 7.8 meters, and the gate faces north. Within a range of about 5 square kilometers outside the fortress, a wealth of cultural relics has been unearthed, including Kaiyuan Tongbao and Qianyuan Zhongbao coins, small Kucha coins and coin molds, pottery shards with Kucha script, and pottery with animal head designs. There are also five pottery kiln sites with over ten kilns in total, where fired and semi-fired stamped pottery coins are commonly found, along with a considerable number of pottery spinning whorls and bronze smelting crucibles. Archaeologists have determined that this site matches the records in Jia Dan’s "Tong Siyi Dao" (Routes to the Four Barbarian Territories) and is the ruin of the Tang Dynasty "Yezheguan" (i.e., an inn along the Silk Road).