Kuqa

This oasis town was another key stop in the ancient Silk Road. Nestled in the foothills of the Tianshan mountain range, it contributed to the spreading of Buddhism into China via the Northern Silk Road. Grottoes and ancient ruins are scattered to the north of the city, which are the remains of a pre-Islamic Buddhist civilization. Evidences show that by the early Tang Dynasty Kuqa was a major center of Buddhism in China. When the 7th century Chinese monk Xuan Zang passed through the town, he recorded that the city’s western gate was guarded by two 30m-high Buddha statues, and that there was a number of monasteries in the area decorated with beautiful Buddhist frescoes. With the arrival of Islam in the ninth century, however, this era finally began to draw to a close, and today only a few traces of Kuqa’s glorious past remain.

Highlights:

Kizil Grottoes - 75km west of Kuqa, a Buddhist treasure trove mixed with Hellenistic, India and Persian styles.
Subashi Ruins - 23km north of Kuqa, a former Buddhist temple ruins dating back to 3rd century AD. Nearby 15m-high Kizilgaha Beacon Tower built in over 2000 years ago is definitely worth a visit.