Ruins of the Ancient City of Sikbak

Ruins of the Ancient City of Sikbak

The ruins of the ancient city of Sikbak is a cultural tourism attraction.

Ruins of the Ancient City of Sikbak

The ruins of the ancient city of Sikbak, also known as the Ancient City of Sidike, were designated as an autonomous region-level cultural relics protection unit in 1961 and included in the "Chinese Scenic Spots Dictionary" in 1981. The ruins are located in Yageqia Village, Aketao Town, Aketao County, and were the military stationing ground of Sidike, a feudal lord of the Xibejia tribe of the Kirgiz people in the 19th century. In June of the third year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty

(1864), Tuo Hedi Mamat, a religious leader of the White Mountain Sect in Kashgar, took advantage of the chaos to seize control of Kashgar. Soon after, Sidike led his troops to attack and enter Kashgar, driving out Tuo Hedi Mamat and occupying the city, proclaiming himself the “Pasha of Kashgar” (King of Kashgar). In December of the same year, the invading forces of Kokand, led by Agubai who brought along Buzuruk, invaded Kashgar. Sidike fell out with Agubai and engaged in fierce battles against him in Kashgar. Sidike was defeated and fled back to Aketao, where he regrouped around six to seven thousand people from the Kirgiz and other ethnic groups to counterattack Agubai, but was defeated again. Sidike escaped to the areas of Yingjisha and Aketao, where he once more organized resistance among the Kirgiz and other ethnic communities against the invaders led by Agubai, and built a fortified city to hold his ground. After several intense battles, the city eventually fell due to being outnumbered. It is said that the city of Sikbak was the military camp from which Sidike led the Kirgiz and other ethnic people in their fight against Agubai’s invasion. The city was square-shaped, with watchtowers on all sides. Today, the area within the city has been turned into farmland.