Red Canyon Cultural Tourism Area

Ancient Tomb

The ancient tomb is a cultural tourism attraction.

Ancient Tomb

This is the northernmost of three ancient tombs aligned from north to south here, and it also covers the largest area, situated close to the road. It is an earthen mound tomb with a collapsed center at the top. This tomb can be regarded as representative of the over 1,600 Wusun tombs found along the 160-kilometer stretch from the Gongnaisi Breeding Sheep Farm on the north bank of the Gongnaisi River to Zektai. In this area, ancient tombs come in three types: earthen mound tombs, stone heap tombs, and stone coffin tombs, varying greatly in size. Many tombs have one or more pebbles paving their tops, and some are encircled by stone rings. Burial artifacts unearthed include pottery jars, pottery bowls, bronze mirrors, and more.

Judging from the forms of the excavated pottery and bronze mirrors, the tombs are roughly dated to the Western Han Dynasty. The tomb cluster is located on the gently sloping right bank of the valley, where the vegetation mainly consists of grassland flowers and various grasses dominated by those found near the Gongnaisi River, along with numerous species such as sweet clover, gromwell, and crucifers, with a coverage of about 80% and grass height of around 2.0 cm.