Ancient City of Akspili

　　Guide        The ancient city is located on the edge of the desert, 17 kilometers west of Luopu County in Hotan, and 3 kilometers east of the Zuolawu Oasis in Hanggui Township. "Akspili," in Uyghur, means "White Castle" or "White City Wall," and is the name given after the city was abandoned.    Introduction         Most of the ancient city is buried under drifting sand. Currently, only a section of the northern wall remains, while the other three walls have vanished without a trace. The wall is arc-shaped, with the remaining section about 100 meters long, approximately 2.60 meters high, and around 1.80 meters thick. The wall was built using adobe bricks. The base of the bricks bears carved symbols resembling writing, which were made by fingers or tree branches. The wall has two parts: the lower section is wider, allowing guards inside the city to patrol around, and the upper section is a parapet with a row of evenly spaced square lookout holes used for observation and defense. Due to years of wind erosion, the ancient city now lies about 4–5 meters below the original ground level at the base of the wall.

　　      The surrounding area of the Ancient City of Akspili contains a vast expanse of historical ruins. The actual site of the ancient city is only on the eastern side of this broader area. These ruins lie within a desert covered with continuous sand dunes, stretching approximately 5–6 kilometers from east to west and over 20 kilometers from north to south. To the south, it connects with the Yulongkashi Oasis, to the east lies Hanggui Township, to the west borders Jiya Township, and to the north extends deep into the desert. In the low-lying areas among the dunes of this sandy expanse, fragments of pottery are scattered everywhere, and the foundations of houses and irrigation channels can still be clearly identified. Early Chinese records about these ruins can be found in the early Republican-era book "Travels in Xinjiang," which states: "The area features undulating sand dunes that resemble a coiling dragon, stretching as far as the eye can see. It is said to be the site of an ancient military encampment. Some even claim it to be the capital of the Kingdom of Khotan. The crumbling walls are sometimes exposed, and when the sands shift, the city layout becomes visible, with furniture still in place and large quantities of valuable items discovered."

　　      In 1957, the ancient city was designated as a key cultural relics protection unit by the People's Government of the Autonomous Region.

　　 Hotan, Xinjiang