Ancient City of Kucha

Ancient City of Kucha

The Ancient City of Kucha is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Era: Western Han to Song Dynasty

The Kingdom of Kucha was one of the ancient states in the Western Regions, whose inhabitants were skilled in music. Kucha music and dance originated here. In the 22nd year of the Zhenguan era (648 AD) and the 2nd year of the Xianqing era (657 AD) during the Tang Dynasty, the Anxi Protectorate was established in Kucha twice, governing 4 towns, 16 prefectures, and 72 counties. A political institution was also set up here to administer the Western Regions, making Kucha the capital of a major ancient state in the Western Regions at that time.

The ancient city is located about two kilometers west of Kuqa County in Pilang Village. The city wall is nearly eight kilometers in circumference, with the northern wall stretching 2,000 meters, the southern wall 1,806 meters, the eastern wall 1,646 meters, and the western wall approximately 2,200 meters. Except for the eastern, southern, and northern walls which can still be identified, the western wall has completely disappeared. The entire city is an irregular square, with walls about 2–7 meters high, built from rammed earth, and fortified with a battlement roughly every 40 meters. In 1985, the renowned Chinese archaeologist Huang Wenbi conducted excavations here, unearthing artifacts such as stone tools, bone implements, painted pottery shards, bronze objects, Han Dynasty Wu Zhu coins, Kucha small coins, and Kaiyuan Tongbao coins.

In May 2013, it was announced by the State Council as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

The names "Kucha" and "Kuqa" originated at different times—one before the 10th century and the other after. "Kucha" is a transliteration from the indigenous language of the local people, while "Kuqa" derives phonetically from Persian. According to historical records, Kucha was originally a state in the Western Regions during the Han Dynasty, located in what is now the Kuqa region of Xinjiang. It later developed into an important commercial hub connecting East–West trade routes. Although the name "Kucha" remains debated, "Kuqa" better reflects the city’s true identity. Moreover, historically, "Kuqa" aligns more closely with the political landscape of the time, as the Tang Dynasty expanded westward and redefined the governance of surrounding regions.