The Ancient City Ruins of Xiate

The Ancient City Ruins of Xiate

The Ancient City Ruins of Xiate are a cultural relic protection site in Xinjiang.

The Ancient City Ruins of Xiate are located within the territory of Xiate Township, Zhaosu County, at an altitude of 1,750 meters.

The Ancient City of Xiate is the remains of a city construction dating back to the Tang Dynasty. Located on the banks of the Xiate River, about 20 kilometers from where the river exits, the ancient city borders the Tekes River to the north, the Xiate River to the east, and looks westward toward Kazakhstan. It is surrounded by the expansive Xiate pasturelands. The entire architectural complex is composed of the city walls and structures located outside the city, covering a total area of 1.26×10⁵ square meters. The outer city has a perimeter of 1,420 meters. The city wall is roughly square-shaped but not perfectly regular. The remaining parts include the northern wall, which is 390 meters long, the southern wall at 212 meters, the western wall at 480 meters, while the eastern wall has been eroded by the Xiate River, making it unclear whether a wall originally existed there. The walls were built using rammed earth, with layers ranging from 8 to 12 centimeters in thickness. In some sections, patches made of soil blocks and stones can be seen.

At the southwest corner of the city, remnants of a corner tower can be found. Inside the city, there are three base platform ruins, possibly the remains of tall structures. Outside the city, there is a defensive moat. Among the two base platforms outside the city, one is rectangular, measuring 100 meters in length from north to south and 48 meters in width from east to west, with a height of about 2 meters. Another is located 10 meters away, consisting of six small elevated platforms, though the purpose of these structures is unknown. The ancient city was likely built during the Tang Dynasty and held significant strategic importance. Historical records indicate that the Tang Dynasty established many protectorates in the Western Regions, and the Xiate Ancient City may have been one of them. It guarded both the Gongyue Route and the Suyab Route, playing a crucial role in frontier defense during the Tang Dynasty.

Judging from some of the cultural relics unearthed from the ancient city, it is believed to have been in use until the Yuan Dynasty. This site is classified as an autonomous region-level key cultural relic protection unit.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units