Juyan Cultural Ruins Scenic Area

Juyan Cultural Ruins Scenic Area

During the Han Dynasty, both the Juyan and Jian Shui Commanderies were under the jurisdiction of Zhangye Prefecture. The border defense structures built at that time, including fortresses, barriers, beacon towers, watchtowers, and border walls, are now collectively referred to as the Juyan Ruins. The main fortress sites and important remains of the Juyan Ruins are all located along the lower reaches of the Ejin River in Alxa, within a 60-kilometer range. Currently, one Bronze Age site, 13 fortress sites from different historical periods, 6 burial areas, 118 Han Dynasty beacon towers and watchtowers, over 10 temples dating from the Western Xia to the Yuan Dynasty, as well as large tracts of farmland and remnants of winding canals have been discovered here. Approximately 40,000 Han Dynasty wooden slips have been unearthed, making it an important large-scale ancient site in the region. In 1982, it was designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the State Council.

With its long history and splendid culture, the Juyan Ruins were once as renowned as the ancient Loulan Kingdom and Lop Nur along the Silk Road.

Source: Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Tourism Administration