Ruins of the Bao'eqitage Religious Temple

Bao'eqitage Religious Temple Ruins

The Bao'eqitage Religious Temple Ruins is a cultural tourism attraction.

Bao'eqitage Religious Temple Ruins

The Bao'eqitage Religious Temple ruins are located in Company 3, Regiment 51, Tumushuke City. Time period: Tang and Song dynasties. It was designated as a municipal-level cultural relics protection unit on April 28, 2005.

The site is located on the rocky southern end of Mount Bao'eqi, stretching from north to south. To the east and west of the ruins are cotton fields belonging to Company 3, and about 30 meters to the west stands a modern mosque.

The site remained relatively intact during the 1960s and 1970s but has since suffered severe human-caused damage. According to locals, it was damaged by blasting and quarrying. Most of the southern part of the ruins is gone, while the northern section still shows remnants of intermittent house foundations. The houses vary in size, with both single rooms and suites. One house measures 8.3 meters east-west and 8.3 meters north-south, with walls 1.3 meters thick and about 2.5 meters high. The site commonly features fragments of Buddhist statues and pottery shards. The pottery is mostly red earthenware, with some gray pottery also present. The items were largely handmade. Locals report that in the 1970s, the houses were still relatively intact, and Buddha statues and stone tables were discovered there. Regarding the identification of the site, some scholars believe it may have been a Manichaean religious site, based on its architectural style and the discovery of Manichaean texts.