Princess Castle

　　Guide         Located in the Mingtegai Gorge, south of Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County (Taxkorgan Town), it sits at the strategic throat of the southern route of the ancient Silk Road. The Princess Castle is situated on a high mountain over 4,000 meters above sea level within the gorge, and is said to be the highest known ancient fortress in China.　　Introduction        The preserved ruins of the ancient castle now consist only of an earthen wall on the southern side and several remnants of human dwellings inside. Later research suggests that the Princess Castle was actually a military fortress built to safeguard the safety of traffic along the ancient Silk Road, and was likely constructed during the Northern and Southern Dynasties period.

　　      Legend: Once, a king from Bactria married a Han Chinese princess. On their way back after the wedding, the bridal procession was halted due to warfare and took shelter on a solitary peak nearby. They set up tight defenses to prevent any outsiders from ascending the mountain. However, three months later, news spread that the princess was pregnant, causing great panic among the bridal party. According to the princess’s personal maid, every noon, a handsome man would descend from the sun on horseback to meet the princess. With no way to report back, the bridal mission decided to stay and build a fortress on the peak. The princess gave birth to a son as scheduled, who later became king and claimed to be of the “Han-Sun Celestial Lineage.”

　　　     　   

　　 Kashgar, Xinjiang