Xingdi Beacon Tower

Xingdi Beacon Tower

Xingdi Beacon Tower

Located on the southern side of the Kuluk Mountain in Xingdi, on the northern bank of the old course of the Kongque River, about 170 kilometers from Korla. This beacon tower is about 10 meters high, with a three-dimensional trapezoidal shape and an earthen structure made of layers of adobe and mud, with reeds mixed into the mud and poplar wood beams inserted every 30 to 40 centimeters. The beacon tower is surrounded by a perimeter wall, with a ladder entrance on the western side and steps leading up to the top. Due to its age, the steps have eroded into an earthen slope. The Xingdi Beacon Tower is the best-preserved ancient beacon tower discovered so far along the main route of the Han Dynasty Silk Road.