Trip to ancient city A bunch of كۇچار - about the crossroads of Buddhism and Islam, the watchtower of the Great Silk Road Kizil Gaha, the Sharia court, and why the Cave of a Thousand Buddhas has “ears”?
Kucha (Kuchar) (Uyg. كۇچار, Chinese 库车 in ancient Chinese was referred to as 龟兹) is an oasis in the Aksu district, XUAR. Located at an altitude of 1057 m above sea level, at the foot of the Tien Shan.
The ancient city of Kucha was once commercial center of the Great Silk Road. Gold, copper, lead, tin and leather were exported from the city. The dry land of Kuchin today was once fertile, the city was famous for its abundance of fruits, the monk Xuanzang 玄奘 (602–664) wrote in his notes. The city was also large center of Buddhism. According to Xuanzang, there were about 100 monasteries and 1000 monks. However, only a few monuments of Buddhism have survived to this day: the Cave of a Thousand Buddhas in Kyzyl, the Kamtura Caves, Kyzylgakha, Senmusaimi, and the ruins of Subashi. The Cave of a Thousand Buddhas in Kyzyl is the most valuable and one of the oldest in the history of Buddhism.
After the transition of the Uighurs from Buddhism to Islam, the city of Kucha experienced a rebirth and again became an important point, now Muslim world. This is clearly shown by the Kuchar Halqa Jamasi mosque, built in the 15th century. AD by black Khojas, the second largest after Id Kah.
Kucha was guarded by wide walls, and there were watchtowers in the outskirts of the city. One of these towers, the Kizilgah watchtower, has survived to this day and still proudly continues its watch in solitude.
First impressions
The train journey from Korla to Kucha takes only 3 hours. It’s amazing that these two cities are separated by only three hours, but what a huge difference there is between them. Kucha is a completely Uyghur city, because it has all the attributes: Uyghur supermarkets and restaurants on every corner, one-story clay houses with artfully decorated doors, beautiful rare breeds of domestic pigeons hovering in the sky, an overabundance of police cars and surveillance cameras, and of course the Uyghurs themselves. According to official statistics for 2013, the Uyghurs occupy 87.68% of the population of Kuchi, and according to unofficial statistics, probably all 97%. The Han people have their own separate area (8-14 on the map below) from which they apparently rarely leave, because in the Uyghur areas they are not visible at all. Rare contacts with the Han population explain why many local Uighurs have virtually no knowledge of Chinese.
Some signs now refer to the city in Uyghur as كۇچا (Heap) without the letter R.
Taxi prices here start from 5 yuan, there are already two night surveillance cameras installed, this is the first time we have seen this, because usually one camera is enough. Meanwhile, I had my own GoPro camera attached to my briefcase, I wanted to relive these moments again and again, watching the video again when I returned from Vatan.
Unlike Korla, Kucha is a more casual city, it does not try to impress because it is already famous among tourists from all over the world. It was nice to meet many foreigners here, because these people cross oceans and thousands of kilometers just to see our historical monuments.
Budget
Food prices are the same as in Urumqi. Taxi from 5 yuan. To the Cave of a Thousand Buddhas in Kyzyl about 200-250 yuan, entrance 70 yuan. Ticket to the Grand Canyon is 40 yuan. Hotels here are much more expensive than Urumqi or Kashgar, from 300 yuan and above.
Important sights in Kucha
Map modern city Heap The Uyghur part of the city, its most important and interesting part, is marked on the map 1-7 . Here are the remains of the ancient city wall, the palace of the ruler of Kuchi, the same mosque Kuqar Halqa Jamasi(Great Mosque) and traditional Uyghur houses.
Kuqar Halqa Jamasi Great Mosque of Kuqa
The mosque is located at the address: 库车县旧城黑墩巴扎, marked on the map with a number 7
.
The mosque was built in the middle of the 15th century. AD by black Khojas on the orders of Isaac Abduvali. This is the only mosque in all of Vatan in which the building has been preserved Sharia Court. The area of the mosque is 1165 m², with a capacity of more than 3000 people. In 1931, part of the mosque burned down. A local respected aristocrat, Alim Haji, restored the burnt part at his own expense. In 1934, construction was completed. You can admire the inside of the mosque high level the art of Uyghur calligraphy, as well as wood carving. Since 1976 it has been under protection as an important historical site, so you can not enter the mosque everywhere. However, Uyghurs still pray here.
Palace of the Khans Kuqarhan Ordisi
Located at: 库车县林基路街, marked on the map with a number 5 .
Click on images to enlarge them
The original palace was destroyed and a new palace was built in its place in 2014. Price entrance ticket 55 yuan and it's a real steal for this place. After all, there is nothing interesting or historically valuable in the new palace, it is just a hotbed of propaganda. True, the last Bek Kuchi, Davut Mahsut, still had the opportunity to live here for the last 10 years of his life.
Remains of the ancient city wall
The wide clay wall, 7 meters high, was built around the 5th – 6th century AD. Marked with a number on the map 6
, located near the main mosque and palace. 
Bazaar
If time permits, it is worth taking a stroll through the bazaar. Here Uyghurs sell atlas, traditional Uyghur medicines, household utensils, etc. Marked on the map under the number 3
.
Walking through the sultry Kucha, we came across a beautiful building with Uyghur restaurants. It was cozy and cool inside, and the friendly Kizchaq treated us to fresh juice. You couldn't wish for anything better for weary wanderers like us. On the map this place is somewhere between the point 2 and 7.
However, all the most interesting things await you outside the city.
Map of the surrounding area of the city of Kucha. Kizil Qargha Tower
This 13.5 meter high tower is located just 12 km north of the city (figure 3 on the map), so it is easy to visit. The tower was built in the early period of the Great Silk Road; it once guarded the city residents, warning them of an impending enemy raid. This one of the oldest towers The Great Silk Road has survived to this day. Now it stands here, observing the course of our history, we moved to a new religion, the authorities changed and a new political system came, and the tower continues to stand here, reminding us of the connection of times, of the experience of history and respect for it.
Not far from the tower are the Kizil Qargha caves. There are about 47 temples there, images have been preserved in only 10 of them. Unfortunately this cave is closed to tourists.
Next stop Cave of a Thousand Buddhas.....
On the way there, we saw an amazing picture of “wind sculptures”, which are called "yardang"(Uyg. steep slope) and are loamy ridges with steep slopes stretched along the prevailing winds, having a rather bizarre shape. Interestingly, there are Yardangs on Mars.
Currently, Vatan Yardangs are on the “waiting list” UNESCO as a candidate for recognition as a World Heritage Site
Although the entire area is painted in yellowish tones, the variety of shades of these seemingly inconspicuous colors is amazing, sometimes there are shades of red and all together (shape and color) create a simply amazing picture.
Cave of a Thousand Buddhas in Kyzyl
The mood was pretty spoiled by the checkpoint station (checkpoint), which stands on the road to Kyzyl. But I will write about this below in the chapter “Political situation”.
Kyzyl is located 70 kilometers from the city (figure 1
on the map), on average it takes about an hour of travel. The scale of the cave is truly amazing, its length is about 2 kilometers, so all its temples simply do not fit into the camera lens. Kumarajiva (344-413 AD) sits thoughtfully at the foot of the cave. Buddhist monk, scientist and translator. 
You can take photographs with a professional camera only at his monument; cameras must be rented in front of the stairs leading to the caves. This is explained by the negative impact of the flash on the sensitive paint layer of the frescoes.
The sight of the frescoes took our breath away; seeing them in photographs and in real life is a completely different experience! We were amazed by the subtle art of painting, the color scheme and the presence of details of the frescoes, because it was all painted 1200-1700 years ago. Unfortunately, tourists are shown only 5-6 temples of the earliest period, when the frescoes were still painted in blue. Every temple has night surveillance cameras.
Everything takes place with the obligatory accompaniment of the Caves workers, who are predominantly Uyghurs.
Click on the image to enlarge it.
However, the most interesting temples are on the other side of the Cave, they were built in a later period and belong to the era of strong Uyghur influence, which is why they are painted in red tones. Various studies write that there is a huge hall with the remains of clay sculptures of Buddhas.
Having heard that they would only let us into five temples and hide all the most interesting things from us, I began to be indignant that they wanted to hide Uyghur history. Suddenly one of the workers carefully took me out of the temple and said in a whisper that the cameras installed in the temples also record conversations. This is done to carefully monitor what the guide says and what tourists answer him. Even the Cave of a Thousand Buddhas in such a remote place also “has ears.” Eh...and here we cannot hide from politics. 
About propaganda, Islamic and communist destruction of temples
The guide specifically talks and points out Buddhas whose faces were allegedly scratched by the Uighurs after accepting Islam. Although there are indeed several such Buddhas here, it is surprising why the same faces of other Buddhas next to them are not touched? The “Islamists” turned out to be very inconsistent... But if this was done by the Islamists, then this is a clear example of what blind fanaticism leads to, and not only religious fanaticism, because the Red Army also destroyed churches.
When I asked about the destruction of the frescoes by the Red Army, the guide glanced nervously at the security cameras.
Then tourists are shown a whole separate temple, destroyed and converted into the personal temple of the Chinese Korean 韩乐然 (HAn Le ran) (1898-1947), who allegedly was engaged in the restoration of the Cave after the raids of foreign archaeologists, who took away sculptures and frescoes. On the walls where there were once Buddhas there are now crooked white hieroglyphs written about the destruction of the cave by foreigners and its restoration. In general, Comrade 韩乐然 wanted to preserve the caves so much that he decided to scribble about it in the place of the ancient Buddhas.
The whole excursion took about an hour. My fitness tracker showed 26 floors and 12,000 steps, although I didn’t even notice that the cave was so high. 
Buddhist Caves of Kumtura
The name in Chinese is 库木吐喇千佛洞, indicated by a number on the map 2
. Located on the banks of the Muzet river. The cave was built in the 6th century and existed and was completed until the 11th century. There were more than 112 temples in the cave, 80 were preserved, only 10 were well preserved. This cave is considered an important monument of Uyghur culture, the red frescoes depict not only Buddhas but also fragments of Uyghur fairy tales, stories and dances. The frescoes themselves contain Uyghur writing, and many Uyghur manuscripts were also found in the temples. Fragments of the frescoes were removed by the Japanese explorer Kozui Otani, the Soviet orientalist Oldunburg and the German archaeologist Albert von Lecoq.
Since 1961 it has been a state-protected object. Since 1999 it has been under the auspices UNESCO. In 2012, the government allocated 16 million yuan ($2,367,564) for restoration.
The cave is closed to tourists.
Click on images to enlarge them
Ancient city of Subash or ruins of an ancient fortress
In Chinese it is called 苏巴什佛寺遗址. Marked on the map with the number 4
.
It was here that in 1990 several “Tarim mummies” were found and among them the famous “Subashi witch”: the mummy of a woman wearing a high pointed cap, a fur coat and a bag containing a knife and various herbs. As well as the Buddhist sharira - VI - VII centuries.
There were Buddhist monasteries here where monks lived and meditated. The city was founded in the 1st century, the period from the 6th to the 9th centuries was its heyday, and the 11th – 12th centuries its decline. Subsequently, the city was completely abandoned.
Cave of a Thousand Buddhas Senmusaimu
Marked on the map under the number 5
. In Chinese it is called 森木塞姆千佛洞.
It was built in the 4th century and was used until the 10th century. Only 57 dilapidated temples have survived. It is very difficult to get there, the road is often blocked and taxi drivers also do not know how to get there.
Grand Canyon Kiziliya
If you dream of visiting the Grand Canyon in the USA, then the Kuchina Canyon will be very interesting to you. It is in no way inferior to the Canyon in the states. The length of the Grand Canyon is approximately 3.7 km. The maximum depth is about 100 m, the width is from 0.5 to 50 m. The average altitude above sea level is about 1600 m, highest point– 2048 m.
The sight of bright red-brownish rocks decorated with exquisite carvings pleases the eyes of everyone who has visited here. 
Political situation, 2017
Everything changed here with the arrival of the controversial Chen Quanguo in 2016 as secretary of the Xinjiang Communist Party. Chen Quanguo was previously the secretary of Tibet and acquired bad reputation thanks to his love for checks and control.
Here, on Vatan, he followed the Tibetan path.
On the way to Kyzyl, a large checkpoint station (checkpoint) was waiting for us. The scale of the point is reminiscent of a border point of some Central Asian country - it feels as if you are traveling to another country, not a city. The cars are put through an X-ray vehicle scanner, which checks for explosive substances.
All passengers are required to exit the vehicle and undergo screening. Foreigners are taken to a separate window, where their passport is scanned and asked about the purpose of the trip. Tourists who travel with travel agencies are easily allowed through. There are many questions only for single tourists or tourists from Muslim countries and “stans” Central Asia. The police checkpoints are surprisingly mostly Uyghurs.
Chinese citizens who pass through the checkpoint will have to go through a whole separate process. They take a sample of their voice and eyes, and check their phones for the presence of Islamic extremism using a special device. In general, a complete bouquet, all that remains is to undergo medical tests...
Kashgaris and Khotanis are not allowed through and are sent back to Kucha. Before my eyes, a whole dozen Kashgar farmers were sent back.
My professional camera was being checked for photographs of police convoys when the officer's gaze lingered on my GoPro camera, which had completely slipped out of my mind. In short, she was taken away from me, explaining this by “the law.” I asked what kind of law and is it on paper? When I suddenly noticed the surprised faces of the Uyghurs standing in line and the enraged gaze of an arrogant policeman. Is it really such a daring question to ask about the law and ask for it to be presented on paper? In developed countries, of which China is striving to become one, this is a common norm and does not come as a surprise.
The policeman replied that his words were the law. “So the law here is created by the one who holds the gun in his hands,” I thought...
Conclusion: It is necessary to have cameras like GoPro, but it is best to hide them, not scan them and not show them to the police.
————————————————————————————
The first day
We arrived in Kucha at about one o'clock in the afternoon. The local airport was a somewhat surreal sight: a huge runway in the middle of an endless desert, on the edge of which perched a small terminal building. And instead of the sun (which was not visible due to the desert dust raised by the wind), the entire area was uniformly flooded with a bright milky-yellowish light.
We walked to the airport terminal building, received our luggage and went out onto the station square. I somehow didn’t like the situation here (already on the levels of intuition) and I immediately rushed towards the three taxis standing on the left. The taxi driver asked for twice as much as required (instead of 30 - 60), and while my wife was indignant at local customs and urged us not to agree with the huckster, without much conversation I threw our bags into the trunk of the car. Meanwhile, while we were walking to the taxi, figuring out the price and loading our luggage, the station area quickly became empty (everyone who met them immediately left), the airport closed and only ours and another taxi remained on the site in the middle of the desert (people were busy loading), and a dozen empty cars with locks on the wheels, left behind by passengers who flew to Urumqi.
The airport in Kuche is called Kuche Qiuci Jichang and is located approximately 12 km southwest of the Old City (the New City is approximately 15 km away). The first impression of the “endless desert” surrounding it turned out to be a little far-fetched: the road running from the airport to the north, after about 3 km, comes out onto the multi-lane Z640 (aka Tianshan Rd. within the city), along which we safely reached the New City.
There were a bunch of three cities in which I did not book hotels in advance, since in both systems (ctrip and elong) only one hotel, Lido, located near the bus station, was available to foreigners. So I copied and printed out on a piece of paper several names of hotels in the center of Cu Chi from the Hong Kong version of the system, one of which was the main city hotel - Kuche Binguan (Chinese: 库车宾馆; address: No.17 Jiefang North Road, Kuche, Chinese: 解放路北17号).
We checked in without any problems, the only thing was that we haggled for a long time and, in general, without much success on the price of the room (they only gave us 20 and it turned out to be 260 per night, which is a little expensive for such a place) and somehow did not immediately (after some wrangling) receive coupons for breakfast.
 |
 |
We settled down, drank tea and had a snack. I went to the reception and asked the girls to find us a driver to travel around the area. Later, towards evening, a young, stout guy appeared in a brand new Kia Sportage. We discussed with him what and how, agreed on routes and prices (not exactly cheap, but tolerable, especially in such places I prefer to take drivers “from the hotel”), and then went “to the city”.
Since we were unable to buy the necessary railways in Urumqi. tickets we still had a serious problem unresolved: how to get from Kucha to Turfan (which is about 800 km). Therefore, having caught a taxi near the main shopping center, we went to the local bus station (a taxi in Kucha costs 5yu - this is the price of boarding and the first 2 km, but all distances here basically fit into these 2 km and probably only to the railway station. station will be more expensive).
At the bus station we found out (with the help of helpful people, especially the girl controller with a smartphone translator) that there are no direct buses to Turfan from Kucha - you need to get to Korla (about 300 km to the east), and from there take a bus to Turfan (or to Daheyan - this is the nearest railway station to Turpan). At the same time, no one knew what time the buses leave from Korla to Turfan/Daheyan. Looking ahead, I’ll say that a day later we stopped at the railway station, just in case. station - suddenly something changed with the tickets, but in principle there were no tickets to the east.
The wife refused to visit the local “shopping plaza”, casting a trained glance from the entrance deep into the shopping arcades, and attempted to walk along the main city square with a park and interesting sculptures was not successful: as in Urumqi, everything is completely closed due to the enhanced security regime. Therefore, we photographed the central composition from the gate and headed further towards the hotel.
We returned not too late, had dinner at the hotel restaurant and went to rest. Tomorrow is a busy day: we go to the Kizil caves, Subashi and look for the Semusami cave temples.
Brief information about Kucha and its surroundings
A little history
The city of Kucha (Uyg. Kuqar, Chinese: Kuche) is the administrative center of Kucha County (Kuchexian) - the easternmost county of the Aksu District (prefecture) (Akesu Diqu), the capital of which is the city of Aksu (Akesu), located approximately 300 km to the south. west of Kucha.
There are some problems with the Latinized name of Heap (see the options given at the beginning), as well as with its “subjectivity”. For example, the elong reservation system locates Kuchi hotels as part of Akesu (after searching, you should note kuchexian), and ctrip finds hotels immediately by the name Kuqa. The story is the same with tourist resources: most classify local attractions as Kucha, but some list them as part of Aksu.
In ancient times, Kuqa was the capital of the Yuezhi (Tochar) state, located in the Tarim Basin on the northern branch of the Great Silk Road. The heap is mentioned in the Chinese chronicle “Book of Han” (Han shu) of the beginning of AD. as the largest state among the "Thirty-six Kingdoms of the Western Regions".
Already from the first centuries AD. Kucha became one of the most important Buddhist centers on the Great Silk Road. According to the Chinese dynastic chronicle “Book of Jin” (Jin shu) in Kucha already in the third century AD. there were about a thousand temples and stupas, and the dominant school here was Sarvastivada. It was in Kucha that the famous Buddhist translator Kumarajiva (334–413) was born, who created a new school of translations from Sanskrit into Chinese.
This is how the pilgrim monk Xuan-tsang, who visited it during his trip to India approx. in 630:
“The capital is about 17-18 li (8-9 km) in circumference. Millet, wheat, and rice are grown. Grapes and pomegranates are grown. Lots of pears, apples and peaches. Local ores include yellow gold, copper, iron, lead and tin.
The climate is mild, [the inhabitants] are of honest character. The writing is modeled on the Indian one, but greatly modified. The art of playing musical instruments is much higher than in other countries. Clothes are made of woolen fabric embroidered with patterns. They cut their hair and wear hats. Gold, silver and small copper coins are used for trade. The king is from Quzhi, has a narrow mind and is under the influence of a senior dignitary. According to local custom, when children are born, their heads are pressed together with boards and flattened.
There are about 100 monasteries, about 1000 monks. They profess the teachings of the “small vehicle”, the school of Sarvastivada. The teaching of the Sutras and the institutions of the Vinaya correspond to Indian models: those who study them strictly follow the original scripture. Professing the “gradual teaching,” they mix “three pure [kinds of meat]” into the food. They are inclined towards purity, committed to learning and compete with the laity in their zeal.”
From “Notes on the Western Countries of the [Era] of the Great Tang” by Xuan-tsang, translated by Alexandrova (Samozvantseva) N.V..
During the Tang Dynasty, the "Viceroyship of Anxi" was established in 640 to govern the territories of the Tarim Basin in Gaochang (Turfan), the center of which was subsequently moved to Kucha.
In the Chinese Western viceroyalties there was a dual system of government: the Han living in the garrison cities lived under imperial laws, and the non-Han peoples were allowed to preserve their traditions, their administrative and legal system, while local rulers received imperial bureaucratic rank and were appointed heads of individual regions.
After the fall of the Tang dynasty in the 9th century, the Kuchi region became part of the newly formed Uyghur state of Qocho, which subsequently first became a vassal of the empire of Genghis Khan and the Chinese Yuan dynasty, and in 1390 was conquered and annexed to the Chagatai ulus.
Since ancient times, the oases of Kuchi were inhabited by Caucasian people (Indo-Europeans), whom the Chinese called Yuezhi (in European literature - Tocharians). The Tocharians spoke the Western Tocharian language (scientists classify it as a Western Indo-European language) and had their own writing system based on the Indian Brahmi script. The Tocharian language survived until the end of the 1st millennium AD. and gradually disappeared giving way to Turkic languages after the conquest of Kuchi by the Uyghurs.
Modern Heap
Modern Kucha consists of the Old Town (Lao Zhen), located on the site of historical Kucha (objects 1-7 on the map), and the relatively recently built New Town (Xin Zhen), which houses the county administration and other local institutions (8-14 and further east).
Built mainly with traditional Uyghur houses Old city(1-7) is located on two sides of the Kucha River, while most of it (together with historical center) is located on the right (western) bank of the river.
Within the city, the river can be crossed on two bridges: the northern one (4) and southern (1) (the distance between them is ~1 km). Tianshan Rd passes through the northern bridge, skirting the old city. (aka Z640 – exit onto the G3012 national highway).
Near the south bridge on the western (right) bank of the river there is the Rasta Mescit mosque (Rasta Mosque) (2) , and on the left (eastern) is the building of the main city bazaar (3) (In addition, open shopping arcades stretch along the road for a couple of hundred meters on both sides of the bridge).
From the south bridge to the northwest there is a straight and wide Resitan Rd., which in less than a kilometer leads to the city museum (“Kuche Palace”) (5) . Next to it (a little to the north) are two other city attractions: the remains of the ancient city wall (6) and Great Mosque (7) .
To the east from the south bridge is Renmin Rd., which after about 2 km from below (from the south) flows into Tianshan Rd. (aka Z640). On the opposite side (and slightly forward) from the junction of these streets is the beginning of the upward (north) Jiefang Rd. – in fact, the New City begins here. Up and to the right (northeast) from the beginning of Jiefang Rd. there is a block measuring approximately 1 x 1 km, in which there is a park and a square with a monument (9) , local district executive committee (10) , banks, shopping centers (11) and so on. (the yellow circle on the map indicates the “main intersection” of the New Town).
About one and a half kilometers southeast of the Tianshan Rd intersection. and Jiefang Rd. on the north side of Tianshan Rd. (on the left as you go) is the local bus station (12) (there is an old airport just north of it, but since 2012 there have been no regular flights from here), and even further and southeast (about 6.5 km from the mentioned intersection) on Huanghe Rd. there is a local railway railway station.
Attractions in the city and its surroundings
In general, there are no particularly interesting objects in the Heap itself.
The main city attractions are considered to be the “Kuche Palace” (Qiuci Palace, 库车王府, entrance ticket seems to be 55yu) (5) – the former residence of the ruler of Kucha, reconstructed and converted into a museum, and the Great Mosque located next to it (Grand Mosque, Hanika Mescit) (7) , as well as the nearby remains of the city wall from the Qing Dynasty (6) .
But in the vicinity of Kucha there are several very significant historical attractions and one outstanding landscape object (see map below).
(1) Buddhist cave complex Kizil(Kizil (Qizil) Thousand Buddha Caves, Kezi'er Qianfodong 克孜尔千佛洞)
Located approximately 70 km northwest of the city.
(2) Buddhist caves of Kumtur(Kumtura Thousand Buddha Caves, Kumutula Qianfodong 库木吐喇千佛洞)
Located 30 km west of Kucha on the left (eastern) bank of the Muzart River below the reservoir. The complex consists of 112 numbered caves, which are divided into northern and southern sections.
(3) Buddhist caves and watchtower of Kizilgakh(Kizilgaha Caves, Kezi'ergaha shiku 克孜尔尕哈石窟; Kizilgaha beacon tower)
Located 13 km northwest of Kucha.
(4) Ruins of the ancient fortress Subashi(Subashi ruins, Subashi Fosi yizhi 苏巴什佛寺遗址)
The ruins of the Subashi fortress are located 23 km northeast of Kucha. They consist of two sections located opposite each other on different banks of the Kucha River (the distance between them is about 1 km).
(5) Buddhist caves of Senmusaimi(Senmusaimu (Simusimu, Simsim) Caves, Senmusaimu Qianfo dong 森木塞姆千佛洞)
The Semusaimi cave complex is located 45 km northeast of the city.
(6) Grand Canyon (Keziliya Grand Canyon; Keziliya daxiagu 克孜利亚大峡谷)
Located in the southern spurs of the Tien Shan approximately 64 km north of the city (40 km from Subashi) along the G217 road,
On the slope of the canyon (about 1.8 km from the entrance to it, at an altitude of about 30 m) are located the Buddhist A’ai Cave, discovered in 1999, with well-preserved frescoes from the Tang Dynasty.
Schematic map with names and distances:
Second day
Kizil Caves
We had a good breakfast: eggs, steamed mantou buns (mantou 馒头), fruits, etc., and at 9:00 we went to the Buddhist cave complex Kizil.
After leaving the city limits, the road (G217) goes north to a pass in the low Kultagh mountain range (Uyg. Qoltagh, Chinese: Queletage 却勒塔格山), which separates the Kuchi oasis from a huge semi-desert plain stretching about 300 km to the west to the east between the foothills of the Tien Shan and the northern slopes of Kultag.
Closer to the foothills, to the right and left of the road there are numerous erosional remains of various shapes. These are the famous Xinjiang “wind sculptures”, which are called “yardangs” and are loamy ridges with steep slopes stretched along the prevailing winds, sometimes having a rather bizarre shape.
Although the entire area is painted in gray and yellowish tones, the variety of shades of these seemingly inconspicuous colors is amazing and all together (shape and color) create a simply amazing picture.
The term “yardang” (Turkic steep slope, yar) was introduced in 1903 by the Swedish traveler Sven Anders Hedin. Currently, the Xinjiang Yardangs are on the UNESCO “waiting list” as a candidate for recognition as a World Heritage Site.
All tourist resources contain a description of the three main landscape parks of the Yardangs, but Kucha is never mentioned among them (judging by the photographs, this is quite deserved, since the scale here is still not the same).
The most famous Yardang reserve (from which their fame actually came) is the Yardang National Geological Park (Sanlongsha Yardang Formations), located approximately 185 km northwest of Dunhuang and 85 km from the ruins of Yumen Pass. This formation is about 25 km long and 1-2 km wide and includes a variety of yardangs up to 20 m high, many of which have their own names due to their resemblance to various animals, structures and objects.
However, just to the side of the road you can see a solid stone stele with an inscription in three languages: “Pyramid Natural Landscape (Yadan Landscape).”
Not far from the entrance to a shallow gorge with a river crossing the mountain range at this point, there is a toll gate and a checkpoint. Having paid 20 (by the way, they pay when crossing the toll gate in both directions, for us this amount was included in renting a car), we slow down near the checkpoint. At the exit, documents are not thoroughly checked (you simply hand over your passports from the window and after a quick glance, the policeman immediately returns them back).
The northern side of Kultag is in places composed of reddish sandstone, which contrasts sharply with the yellowish-gray rock of the main ridge and the adjacent plain.
 |
 |
***
About three kilometers after leaving the gorge we turn west (left) onto S307 and then the road goes along a rather boring pebble semi-desert. After about 35 km, a little before reaching the oasis of the village of Kizil (Keze'rxiang), we turn following the sign to the south - this is the last 8 km to the Kizil cave complex (it, like many similar structures in China, is often referred to as “Caves of a Thousand Buddhas” in Kizil" (Kezi'er Qianfodong)).
Towards the end, the road climbs a low mountain ridge, and then along a serpentine road in two loops descends into the valley of the Muzart River to a parking lot in front of the cave complex.
We reached Kizil at about 10 o'clock (i.e. the journey took about one hour).
 |
 |
In the photo below: view from the parking lot in front of the complex onto the road along which we arrived.
Only an organized group and a guide are allowed to visit the caves here, and only five caves are opened and shown. You can only take photographs from the entrance, and before entering the territory, all photos and videos must be handed over to the storage room. The entrance ticket costs 55yu.
In the photo below: view of the cliff with caves from the parking lot.
The entire excursion around Kizil (together with photographing the caves from the Kumarajiva monument) took us about an hour and already at about 11 o’clock we headed back.
In the morning the road was practically empty, but on the way back (especially closer to the city) the traffic became busier.
Immediately behind the toll gate there is a small checkpoint building. Here you need to get out of the car and submit your identification documents at the window. The driver’s ID card is read by a scanner, so the whole procedure takes literally a couple of minutes, but our passports are taken deep into the office to the computers and something is done there within 10-15 minutes.
 |
 |
The check eventually ended, our passports were returned, and at about 12:15 we landed at a small market about 150-200 meters north of our hotel. We agreed with the driver that he would arrive at the hotel at 15:00 and we would go to the Simsim (Senmusaimi) caves and Subashi.
We bought a hefty (3 kg) melon at the market, had a snack in the room (we only ate half of the melon - we left the rest for the evening), rested and at 15:00 we went in search of Simisim.
The misfortune with the Senmusaimi caves and the ruins of the ancient city of Subashi
The Buddhist cave complex Senmusaimi (Simsim) is located in the southern foothills of Kultag to the east of the Kucha River valley crossing the mountains (approximately on the same line with Subashi). His exact location was unknown to me and in general all the information about Senmusaimi was collected from various sources bit by bit, but a consultation in the hotel lobby (in the person of the driver, a senior manager and a couple of caring men) after heated debates established exactly what, where and how and why the driver After leaving the city, I quite confidently turned onto the pebble plain and moved east.
The Semusaimi cave complex was created during the Wei and Tang dynasties and is the largest in the eastern part of Cu Chi. There are 54 numbered caves located along the slope of a circular hill that is approximately 700 m in diameter, which are divided into eastern, southern, western, northern and central sections. The style and theme of the drawings is the same as in the Kizil caves, but a special feature is the numerous images of animals.
The entire pebble plain north of Kucha, several kilometers deep and unclear how wide, is a gigantic construction site. A 12-year plan to create the Kuche Chemical Industrial Park, which includes refineries and petrochemical plants, as well as a textile factory, is being implemented here.
The entire territory is dissected by good roads (with interchanges, bridges, water conduits, dams, etc.) and brand new power lines, but so far only a new thermal power plant, several substations and stone crushing and concrete factories scattered throughout the territory are visible from the industrial buildings. The work is in full swing and there is no doubt that by 2020 all plans of the party and government will be fulfilled (God willing, according to the highest environmental standards).
Since where the Chinese are, there is order, all objects (and possibly the entire industrial park area) are fenced with endless barbed wire fences with checkpoints. After some wandering along the roads, we came across such a checkpoint (a small substantial house in which a local watchman and his family live). No objects were visible behind the checkpoint, but after long conversations between the driver and the guard, two unpleasant things became clear: 1) travel to the area where the Senmusaimi caves are located is allowed only to local residents; 2) in the western direction the situation is exactly the same, so we most likely will not get into the Kumtur caves either.
In general, I reacted calmly to the exclusion of the Kumtura caves from the route, but the inability to visit Senmusaimi was frankly upsetting (for some reason I really wanted to see them). But there was nothing to do, and we moved on - to the ruins of the ancient city of Subashi.
The ruins of Subashi are located 23 km northeast of Kucha. They consist of western and eastern parts, located opposite each other on different banks of the dry bed of the Kucha River (the distance between them is about 1 km). The western part, located right next to the road, is well preserved and widely visited. IN eastern part you need to buy a separate ticket and walk (over the bridge over the canal in which the river now flows, and further along the dry pebble bed).
Subashi Fortress was founded in the 1st century AD during the Han expansion to the west, but its main heyday occurred during the Sui and Tang dynasties (6-9 centuries). One of the famous historical events associated with Subashi is that the famous pilgrim monk Xuanzang stopped here for two months during his “Journey to the West.”
During the civil strife of the 9th century, Subashi fell into decay: the city was plundered, Buddhist temples and monasteries were destroyed, and Subashi was completely abandoned already in the 12-13th centuries. after the final Muslimization of the local population.
In the 90s of the last century, during excavations near Subashi, several “Tarim mummies” were discovered and among them the famous “healer from Subashi” (Subashi witch): the mummy of a woman in a high pointed cap, a fur coat and with a bag in which there was a knife and various herbs.
Left: photo of the mummy of the “witch doctor from Subashi”, and on right: reconstruction of its appearance.
 |
 |
The parking lot is located on the opposite side of the road, next to a narrow but deep canal through which the Kucha River now flows. Here we talked to a young Italian couple who arrived in a city taxi - the first and last independent travelers, whom we met during our entire month and a half trip around China (we actually saw Europeans only five or six times during the entire time, not counting Chengdu and Beijing, of course).
The ruins themselves look quite ordinary (there are a lot of such historical sites in Xinjiang and Gansu), but against the backdrop of the mountains and in the milky-yellow diffused light, everything looks very cool. Plus, as usual, an incredible number of shades of yellow and gray.
The dimensions of the fortress are quite impressive for a provincial garrison: 680 m long and 170 m wide. All buildings were built from mud bricks (adobe, adobe) of various sizes, and the palace and temples, among other things, were covered with plaster and decorated with stucco (stucco).
In Subashi, the most noticeable and impressive ruins are two large structures: the Western Temple Hall (pictured below, on the right) and the Western Temple Stupa (pictured below, in the distance on the left).
From the ticket office (pictured below - in the background) looped paths in the form of wooden floorings diverge throughout the territory. Almost immediately to the right (left in the photo) are the mighty walls of the Western Temple Hall.
Photo below: view inside the Western Temple Hall.
The path goes north along the outer wall of the Western Temple Hall (in the left photo - on the right near the edge of the photo) to the farthest ruins of one of the stupas (in the left photo - in the distance in the center), and then turns east (left) towards the Western Temple Stupa .
 |
 |
On the way to the Stupa of the Western Temple, we crossed paths with Italians coming towards us (they walked “correctly” - clockwise) and exploited them for photographing together.
In the photo below: Italians against the background of the wall of the Hall of the Western Temple.
In the photo below: Stupa of the Western temple "in the interior".
The path goes around the Stupa of the Western Temple with reverse side and from here you can clearly see the modern steps leading to the top of the stupa (it seems that, contrary to strict Chinese rules, a small Buddhist sanctuary has been built there).
In ancient times, the stupa was probably a traditional structure of this type: a high platform with a staircase leading up, on which a rounded anda(the body of the stupa), topped with an “umbrella”. Judging by the appearance of the ruins and the period of construction, it was a stupa of the “Gupta type” (see).
In the right photo below, a modern structure with two arched openings is clearly visible at the top of the platform.
 |
 |
From the Stupa of the western temple, the path goes straight and down to the ticket office past pebble mounds, under which the unexcavated ruins of buildings and structures are probably hidden (or maybe excavated and filled back).
One of the main problems of archaeologists during the excavation and restoration of adobe and similar material structures is the subsequent conservation of what is excavated and restored. The walls exposed to rain and winds (in ancient times they were coated with protective plaster) are destroyed very quickly after they are cleared of soil, so excavation and conservation must proceed more or less simultaneously.
Conservation of structures made of sandstone, clay, adobe, etc. is carried out by continuous treatment of them from special sprayers with a solution of “liquid glass”. Although “liquid glass” (an aqueous solution of sodium or potassium silicates) and a fairly cheap reagent, the gigantic volumes and technical difficulties in performing such work (which are often carried out in remote desert areas, on cliffs of gorges with cave temples, etc.) lead to due to the fact that chemical conservation projects of this kind of objects are very expensive.
From the side, the walls of the Western Temple Hall seem even more majestic, especially in comparison with the human figures.
We returned to the ticket office, went out to the parking lot and were already in the city at about 17:15.
We asked the driver to drop us off at the market, where we bought five kebabs, pita bread and tomatoes (we decided to have dinner in our room).
We watched how lavash was prepared.
 |
 |
Apparently, this bakery is popular: lavash is packaged in large colorful boxes and respectable guys come to pick it up in expensive cars.
We had dinner in the room. The lamb shish kebab seemed too fatty to us (luckily we had something to wash it down with), and the delicious-looking lavash was tough and completely bland. The mood was lifted by melon and tea with honey and a wonderful local liqueur.
We decided not to experiment anymore; in the future, if possible, we ate bozas, local dumplings and steamed buns with meat filling. And of course, we ate wonderful local watermelons and melons to our hearts’ content.
We didn’t go anywhere in the evening – we rested. Tomorrow morning we are going to the Grand Canyon.
Wiktionary has an entry for heap A heap is a collection of a large number of objects, usually shaped like a cone. In a figurative sense, a large amount of something. See heap paradox. Contents... Wikipedia
This term has other meanings, see Heap (meanings). Image of the inhabitants of Kucha on a fresco in Kizil. Kucha (also Kuche and Kuchar) ancient Buddhist sovereign ... Wikipedia
This term has other meanings, see Heap (meanings). A bunch of Uighs. كۇچار ناھىيىسى whale. 库车县 Country China Status county ... Wikipedia
In ancient times, Gutsy (see East Turkestan) was a district city of Xing Jiang Province, near the Kungei Kok Su River; surrounded by a high adobe wall. The surrounding area is well cultivated and covered with gardens. They export coal, copper, iron, ammonia, sulfur, salt,... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron
Altai (city, China) City Altai 阿勒泰市 Country ChinaChina ... Wikipedia
NEWARK (Newark), a university city in the USA, in the north-west of the state of Delaware (see DELAWARE (state)), a suburb of Wilmington (see WILMINGTON (city in the eastern USA)). Population 30 thousand people (2004). Petrochemical, radio-electronic industry.... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
The Yarkand request is redirected here; see also other meanings. Yarkand Urban District يەكەن ناھىيىسى 莎车县 Country China ... Wikipedia
Kucha Ancient City is one of the most historically significant cities in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. When it comes to traveling to XUAR, we definitely visit cities such as Kashgar, Turpan or Ghulja. However, there are many other small towns and villages worth visiting.
If you love the history of the Silk Road or love the rich Uyghur culture, then these are the places where you will greatly enjoy visiting.
So, let's go...
#5 place – Watchtower
Despite its relative obscurity, Kucha has a history dating back a thousand years and was once considered a major center of Buddhism and the Silk Road.
There are a number of significant archaeological sites near Kucha including “Subash” - an ancient city, “Cave of a Thousand Buddhas” and a watchtower.
The tower reaches a height of 13.5 meters and is located 12 km away. north of the city, so it's not difficult to visit. In ancient times, this tower served to warn the residents of Kucha about an upcoming enemy raid.
# 4th place – Great Mosque in Kucha
The mosque was built in 1559 and is the second largest after the mosque Eid Kah in Kashgar. Over the past few hundred years, it has survived fires, earthquakes and erosion, and restoration work has been carried out on the mosque several times.
Thousands of Kuchi Muslims gather here on Fridays to pray. The mosque is located in the city center, and for a small fee you can take a tour inside.
#3 place – Caves of a Thousand Buddhas
Caves of a Thousand Buddhas located 67 km west of the Kucha district. They are the oldest of their kind, as well as the largest remnants of Buddhist culture in Uyghuria. This is a real treasure trove of wall paintings. About 10,000 m2 of wall paintings are stored in 236 caves.
The capital of the ancient kingdom was also called Kucha. The kingdom extended from the foot of the southern slope of the Tien Shan mountains in the north to the Taklamakan desert in the south.
Frescoes and other Buddhist art discovered in the grottoes represent the rich culture of the once prosperous kingdom of Kucha.
# 2 place – Tien Shan “Mysterious” Grand Canyon
Yes, yes, that’s what it’s called: Tien Shan “Mysterious” Grand Canyon. There are many different names for this place, such as "Grand Canyon of Xinjiang". But I think they should call it "mysterious". Ha!
If you are a photographer (or a beginner like me =)), www.. Similar to the Antelope Canyons in Arizona (USA), the red sandstone walls in this canyon surround you at every turn.
The best time to walk along the canyon is in the afternoon, when the sun is gradually setting. You can get to the canyon from Kucha in 1.5 hours.
# 1 place – the good old town of Kucha
Like most cities in the southern part of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Kucha boasts of having both an "Old Town" and a "New Town". www.. Kashgar can no longer boast of this, since their “Old City” is already almost completely destroyed.
The ancient city of Kuqa, with the exception of some minor facelifts, remains largely intact, making it a pleasant place to walk and enjoy ancient Uyghur architecture.
In the evenings I like to walk around the markets, enjoy delicious drinks, food and local ice cream. You will need these ingredients to enjoy walking through the streets of this unique eastern town.
Conclusion
Traveling around Kucha will not be to everyone's taste, as getting to the city is not entirely easy, there are few hotels, and there is a lack of luxury that tourists are looking for.
A lot of beautiful city, which absorbed the ancient culture of the Uyghurs. I'm glad I had the chance to visit this city!
Have you been to Kucha before? What's your favorite place?
