Urumqi

Urumqi is the capital of Xingjian province, some 1400 km from Kashgar. Compared to some of its neighbours it is a relatively young city – about 300 years old. The city rises from a plain of flat land which seems to stretch for hundreds of miles around.

There are daily flights and a train service (which takes a whole day to complete the journey). At one time a center for Russian émigrés, the modern city center doesn’t have the same charm as it used to have. There is a fine Museum, some parks, and it is an ideal center for excursions, for example to the Heavenly Lake and Turpan. There are flights to several destinations within China and also with Bishkek.

The Xinjian Regional Muesum has 7800 square meters of exhibition space and was originally constructed in 1953. It has a green-tiled dome some 18m above the main hall and enormous mural reliefs which decorate the walls, domes and entrance. The first section displays over 50,000 cultural relics excavated on the Silk Road, which includes silk, pottery and porcelain, terra-cotta figures, weapons, and scriptures. A second section houses some mummies discovered in the vast desert. Among them, one named "sleeping beauty" is perhaps the most famous. Buried underground for something like 3,800 years, it is still intact and is considered as one of the earliest, and best-preserved, mummified body found in all China. Exhibits are displayed representing various ethnic groups present in the region such as clothing, household utensils, handicrafts, hunting accoutrements and musical instruments as well as a Uighur house and different styles of yurts.

Red Hill - with its emerald greenery and its religious pagoda and shrines, is a landmark located in the center of the city, on the east bank of the Urumqi River, and faces Yamalike Hill, on the west bank. If the two were joined, the Urumqi River would be blocked and would drown the city. (Its shape is said to resemble a mighty wriggling dragon. The city suffered severe river flooding in 1785 and 1786. Legend says that this flooding was caused by a vicious dragon.) In 1788, Shang An, governor of Urumqi, had pagodas built on top of each of the two hills to suppress the dragon. The reddish-brown Red Hill is crowned by the nine-story, gray brick Zhenlong Pagoda (Pagoda to Suppress Dragons), which is eight meters tall. The hill is also dotted with small pavilions. Over Red Hill's long history, there have been many other important religious buildings built on it. Before Buddhist times, the nomadic Oyrat tribe built an "ebo" here, a stone cairn used by tribesmen to worship and offer sacrifices to their gods. During the Qing period, splendid temples were built to house Buddhist services, attracting swarms of visitors. The Temple of the Jade Emperor and the Temple of the Great Buddha were built high on the hill, and the Palace of the Dipper was built at the foot, but unfortunately, warlords of later generations burned these down.

The Tartar Mosque - also known as the Yanghang Mosque is located at the southern end of Jiefang Nan Lu (South Jiefang Road). It was built with private donations from the Tartar community and is unique in its use of traditional Tartar architecture. It features geometric carvings in wood and brick and an octagonal dome adorned with a crescent. The mosque is a main center for worship in Urumqi, covers 3000 square meters and it can accommodate up to 1000 people in the prayer hall. The mosque is open to tourists, (including women), however you must obtain permission before visiting.

The Southern Mosque, takes its name from the fact that it is located near the southern gate of the city. The original mosque was renovated in 1902 and once again in 1987. With its four minarets and vaulted ceiling, it embdies many fine examples of Islamic art forms. The tower which forms the main body of the mosque has four floors, two of which are below ground level. The underground floors house shops and living quarters whilst the two above ground contain the prayer hall and a seminary. The walls of the passageway leading to the prayer hall are decorated with carved orchids, plums, bamboo and lotuses. The compound also includes a washing room for ablution before prayers.

The Southern Pastures (West White Poplar Gully) are 75 kilometers south of of the city of Urumqi, in the Southern Mountain, at the northern foot of Karawuquntag Mountain, (which is a spur of the Tien Shan Mountains). Visitors to this narrow verdant gully are treated to vistas of snowcapped peaks, dragon-spruce trees wild flowers, and waterfalls – including one 2,100 meters wide. Locals Kazakhs usually spend summer here between May and October grazing their herds.

Erdaqaio is Urumqi's central market, and is at the forefront of the changing face of the city. Until recently it was a moderately sized, bazaar (mostly in the open-air) with little apparent organization evident. A newly constructed, indoor market has taken its place … enourmous, (with an overall area of nearly a million square feet), and towering buildings in an “Islamic” style. At night time it is transformed back into a typical Central Asian bazaar – more like the original.

Heavenly Lake (Tianchi Lake) is situated in the Heavenly Mountain (Tien Shan) range, 115 kilometres northeast of Urumqi. Formerly known as Yaochi (Jade Lake), it offers a particularly refreshing excursion for those arriving to Urumqi from the barren deserts in Xingjian, or from China's numerous “granite” cities. It is hemmed in by majestic snow-crowned peaks west of Bogda Mountain. Geologically, a moraine lake, measuring 3,400 by 1,500 meters, at an altitude of 1,980 meters above sea level. The surrounding slopes are covered with firs, pines, cypresses and white snow, and it encourages comparisons with Switzerland and the Rocky mountains. Amidst fields of wild flowers grow morel mushrooms, peppermint and rhubarb, while higher up the mountain edelweiss and the rare, creamy, Snow Lotus, (which grows from rock crevices and is believed to have magical powers as a medicinal cure) can be found. Visitors usually spend a day in the area, taking a boat on the lake, or a ride, or a walk along the lake's shore.