Five attractions you must visit in a heap. Have you been to Kucha before? What is your favorite place

Wiktionary has an article "heap". Heap is a pile of large number of objects, usually in shape like a cone. In a figurative sense, a large amount of something. See the heap paradox. Contents ... Wikipedia

This term has other meanings, see Heap (disambiguation). An image of the inhabitants of Kucha on a fresco in Kizil. Kucha (also Kuche and Kuchar) is an ancient Buddhist sovereign ... Wikipedia

This term has other meanings, see Heap (disambiguation). A bunch of uyg. كۇچار ناھىيىسى whale. 库车 县 Country PRC Status county ... Wikipedia

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Yarkand request is redirected here; see also other meanings. Yarkand Urban District يەكەن ناھىيىسى 莎车 县 Country China ... Wikipedia

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The first day

We arrived in Kucha at about one in the afternoon. The local airport was a somewhat surreal sight: a huge runway in the middle of the endless desert, on the edge of which a small terminal building was huddled. And instead of the sun (which was not visible due to the desert dust raised by the wind), the whole area is uniformly flooded with a bright milky yellowish light.

We went to the terminal building, got our luggage and went out to the station square. Somehow I didn't like the situation here (already at the levels of intuition) and I immediately rushed to the three taxis on the left. The taxi driver asked for twice as much (instead of 30 - 60), and while my wife was indignant at the local morals and urged not to agree with the huckster, I threw our bags into the trunk of the car without much ado. Meanwhile, while we were walking to the taxi, sorting out the price and loading the luggage, the station square was quickly empty (everyone who met with those they met instantly left), the air terminal was closed and only our and one more taxi remained on the site in the middle of the desert (people were busy with loading), yes, a dozen empty cars with blockers on wheels, which were left by passengers who flew to Urumqi.

The airport in Kuche is called Kuche Qiuci Jichang and is located about 12 km southwest of the Old City (to the New City - about 15 km). The first impression of the “endless desert” surrounding it turned out to be a little far-fetched: after about 3 km from the airport to the north, the road leads to the multi-lane Z640 (aka Tianshan Rd. Within the city), along which we safely reached the New City.

Heap was one of three cities in which I did not book hotels in advance, since in both systems (ctrip and elong) only one Lido hotel, located near the bus station, was available for foreigners. So I copied and printed on a piece of paper several names of hotels in the center of Kucha. from the hong kong version of the system, one of which was the main city hotel - Kuche Binguan (Ch. 库车 宾馆; address: No.17 Jiefang North Road, Kuche Ch. 解放路 北 17 号).

We settled in without any problems, only for a long time and, in general, without much success, they bargained for the price of the room (we got only 20 and got 260 per night, which is a bit expensive for such a place) and somehow not immediately (after some bickering) received 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, in the evening, a young tough guy appeared in a brand new Kia Sportage. We discussed with him what and how, agreed on routes and prices (not entirely cheap, but tolerable, especially in such places I prefer to take drivers “from the hotel”), and then went “to the city”.

Since in Urumqi we were unable to buy the necessary railways. 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 5th - this is the price of landing and the first 2 km, but all distances here basically fit into these 2 km and probably only to the railway. station will be more expensive).

At the bus station it was found out (with the help of helpful people, a girl-controller with a smartphone-translator especially helped) that there are no direct buses to Turfan from Kucha - you need to get to Korla (this is about 300 km to the east), and then take a bus to Turfan (or to Daheyan - this is the closest railway station to Turpan). At the same time, no one knew what time the buses leave from Korla to Turpan / Daheyan. Looking ahead, I will say that every other day, just in case, we stopped at the railway station. train station - suddenly something changed with the tickets, but in principle there were no tickets to the east.

The spouse refused to visit the local "shopping plaza", having cast a trained glance from the entrance to the depths of the shopping arcade, and an attempt to walk along the main city square with a park and interesting sculptures was unsuccessful: as in Urumqi, everything is completely closed due to the heightened security regime. Therefore, we photographed the central composition from the gate and went further - towards the hotel.

We returned not very late, had dinner at the hotel restaurant and went to rest. Tomorrow is a busy day: we go to the Kizil caves, to Subashi and look for the Semusaimi cave temples.

Brief information about Kucha and its surroundings

A bit of history

The city of Kucha (Uig. Kuqar, Ch. Kuche) is the administrative center of Kuchexian county - the easternmost county of the Akesu Diqu district (prefecture), the capital of which is the city of Akesu, located about 300 km to the south- west of Kucha.

There are some problems with the Latinized name of Kuchi (see the options given at the beginning), as well as with its "subjectivity". For example, the elong reservation system lists hotels in Kuqa as part of Akesu (after the search, you should mark kuchexian), and ctrip finds hotels immediately by the name Kuqa. The same story is with tourist resources: most of the local sights belong to Kucha, but some list them as part of Aksu.

In ancient times, Kucha was the capital of the Yuezhi (Tochars) state, located in the Tarim depression on the northern branch of the Great Silk Road. The heap is mentioned in the Chinese chronicle "The Book of Han" (Han shu) from the beginning of the Common Era. as the largest state among the "Thirty-six Kingdoms of the Western Regions".

Already from the first centuries A.D. The heap has become one of the most important Buddhist centers on the Great Silk Road. According to the Chinese dynastic chronicle, the Book of Jin (Jin shu) in Kucha already in the third century AD. there were about a thousand temples and stupas, with Sarvastivada being the dominant school. 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 describes Kuchu, who visited her during his trip to India by approx. in 630:

“The capital is about 17-18 li (8-9 km) in circumference. They grow millet, wheat, and rice. Grapes and pomegranates are grown. Lots of pears, apples and peaches. Local ores are yellow gold, copper, iron, lead and tin.

The climate is mild, [the inhabitants] are of an honest disposition. The script is modeled on the Indian, but heavily altered. The art of playing musical instruments is much higher than in other countries. Clothes - from woolen fabric embroidered with patterns. They cut their hair, wear hats. Gold, silver and small copper coins are used for trade. The king is from Quizhi, not far-sighted and under the influence of a senior dignitary. According to local custom, when children are born, their heads are squeezed with boards and flattened.

There are about 100 monasteries, about 1000 monks. They profess the teachings of the "little chariot", the Sarvastivada school. The teachings of the Sutras and the Vinaya ordinances are in accordance with Indian patterns: their students follow the original scriptures exactly. Confessing the "gradual teaching", they add "three pure [types of meat]" to the food. They are prone to purity, committed to learning and in their zeal they compete with the laity. "

From the "Notes on the Western Countries [of the Great Tang Era" by Xuan-tsang, translated by N.V. Alexandrova (Pretender).

During the Tang Dynasty, to govern the territories of the Tarim Basin in Gaochang (Turfan) in 640, the “Anxi Governorate” was established, the center of which was later moved to Kucha.

In the Western Chinese governorships, there was a double system of government: the Han people living in the garrison cities lived according to imperial laws, and non-Han peoples were allowed to preserve their traditions, their administrative and legal system, while local rulers received an imperial official 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 later first became a vassal of the Genghis Khan empire and the Chinese Yuan dynasty, and in 1390 it was conquered and annexed to the Chagatai ulus.

Since ancient times, the Kuchi oases have been inhabited by the Caucasian people (Indo-Europeans), whom the Chinese called Yuezhi (in European literature - Tochars). The Tokhars spoke the Western Tocharian language (scientists attribute it to the Western Indo-European languages) and had their own script based on the Indian script Brahmi. The Tocharian language lasted until the end of the 1st millennium AD. and gradually disappeared giving way to the Turkic languages ​​after the conquest of Kucha by the Uighurs.

Modern Heap

Modern Kucha consists of the Old City (Lao Zhen), located on the site of the historical Kucha (objects 1-7 on the map), and the relatively recently rebuilt New Town (Xin Zhen), which houses the county administration and other local institutions (8-14 and further east).

Built up mainly with traditional Uyghur houses, the Old Town (1-7) is located on two sides of the Kucha River, while most of it (together with the historical center) is located on the right (western) bank of the river.

Within the city, the river can be crossed by two bridges: the northern (4) and south (1) (the distance between them is ~ 1 km). Tianshan Rd passes through the north bridge, skirting the old city. (aka Z640 - exit to the national highway G3012).

Near the south bridge on the western (right) bank of the river is the Rasta Mescit (Rasta Mosque) (2) , and on the left (east) - 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 goes to the city museum ("Kuche Palace") (5) ... Next to it (slightly to the north) are two other city attractions: the remains of the ancient city wall (6) and the Great Mosque (7) .

To the east of the south bridge is Renmin Rd., Which flows into Tianshan Rd after about 2 km from the bottom (from the south). (aka Z640). On the opposite side (and slightly forward) from the junction of these streets is the beginning of Jiefang Rd going up (north). - in fact, the New City begins here. Up and to the right (northeast) of the start of Jiefang Rd. there is a quarter with a size of about 1 x 1 km, in which there is a park and a square with a monument (9) , local regional executive committee (10) , banks, shopping centers (11) etc. (the “main intersection” of the New City is marked with a yellow circle on the map).

About one and a half kilometers southeast of the Tianshan Rd. and Jiefang Rd. on the north side of Tianshan Rd. (on the left along the way) there is a local bus station (12) (a little to the north of it there is an old airport, but since 2012 there are no regular flights from here), and even farther 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 nearby Grand Mosque (Hanika Mescit) (7) and the nearby remains of the Qing dynasty city wall (6) .

But in the vicinity of Kucha there are several very significant historical sights and one outstanding landscape object (see the map below).

(1) Kizil Buddhist cave complex(Kizil (Qizil) Thousand Buddha Caves, Kezi'er Qianfodong 克孜尔 千佛洞)

Located about 70 km northwest of the city.

(2) Buddhist caves of Kumtur(Kumtura Thousand Buddha Caves, Kumutula Qianfodong 库 木 吐 喇 千佛洞)

They are 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 Kizilgah Watchtower(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) Senmusaimi Buddhist Caves(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)

It is located in the southern spurs of Tianshan, about 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), there are Buddhist caves 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 mountain ridge Kultag (Uig. Qoltagh, Ch. Queletage 却 勒塔格 山), which separates the Kuchi oasis from a huge semi-desert plain stretching for about 300 km from 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 remnants 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 whole area is painted in gray and yellowish tones, the variety of shades of these seemingly discreet colors is striking, 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 Gedin. Xinjiang Yardangs are currently on the UNESCO “waiting list” as a candidate for recognition as a World Heritage Site.

On all tourist resources there is a description of the three main landscape parks of the Yardangs, while Kucha is never mentioned among them (judging by the photographs - quite deservedly, since the scale here is still not the same).

The most famous reserve of the Yardangs (from which their fame actually went) is the Yardang National Geological Park (Sanlongsha Yardang Formations), located about 185 km northwest of Dunhuang and 85 km from the ruins of the Yumen Pass. This formation is about 25 km long and 1-2 km wide and includes various yardangs up to 20 m high, many of which have their own names due to their similarity with various animals, structures and objects.

Nevertheless, a little to the side of the road, you can see a solid stone stele with the 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 in this place, there is a toll gate and a checkpoint. Having paid 20yu (by the way, they pay when crossing the toll gate in both directions, with us this amount was included in the hiring of a car), we slow down near the checkpoint. At the exit, the documents are not thoroughly checked (you just submit your passports from the window and after a cursory 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.

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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 Keze'rxiang, we turn south following the sign - this is the last 8 km to the Kizil cave complex (like many similar structures in China, it is often referred to as the “Caves of a Thousand Buddhas in Kizil "(Kezi'er Qianfodong)).

Towards the end, the road climbs a low mountain range, and then along a serpentine in two loops descends into the valley of the Muzart River to the parking lot in front of the cave complex.

We got to Kizil by about 10 hours (i.e. the road took about one hour).

In the photo below: the view from the parking lot in front of the complex on the road on which we arrived.

Here they are allowed to visit the caves only in an organized group and with a guide, and only five caves are opened and shown. You can take pictures only from the entrance, and before entering the territory, all photo-video must be handed over to the storage room. The cost of the entrance ticket is 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 about 11 hours we moved back.

In the morning the road was almost empty, but on the way back (especially closer to the city) the traffic became more busy.

Just behind the toll gate is a small checkpoint building. Here you need to get out of the car and submit identity documents through the window. The driver's ID card is read by a scanner, so the whole procedure takes just a couple of minutes with it, 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 pm we already disembarked at a small market 150-200 meters north of our hotel. We agreed with the driver that he will arrive at the hotel by 15:00 and we will go to the Simsim (Senmusaimi) caves and Subashi.

We bought a hefty (3 kg) melon at the market, had a bite to eat in the room (overpowered only half of the melon - the rest was left for the evening), rested and went in search of Simisim at 15:00.

Failure 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 valley of the Kucha River that crosses the mountains (approximately on the same line with Subashi). I didn’t know his exact location and, in general, all information about Senmusaimi was collected from various sources bit by bit, but the consultation in the hotel lobby (in the person of the driver, senior manager and a couple of caring men), after heated debates, determined exactly what, where and how, and therefore the driver after leaving the city, he turned rather confidently onto a 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 Kuchi. There are 54 numbered caves located on the slope of a circular hill, which 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 depictions of animals.

The entire pebble plain north of the Kucha is several kilometers deep and it is unclear how wide it is a gigantic construction site. Here, a 12-year plan is under way to create the Kuche Chemical Industrial Park, which includes refineries and petrochemical enterprises, as well as a textile factory.

The entire territory is cut by good roads (with interchanges, bridges, water conduits, dams, etc.) and brand new power transmission 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 facilities. The work is in full swing and there is no doubt that by 2020 all the plans of the party and the government will be fulfilled (God forbid, to the highest environmental standards).

Since where the Chinese are, there is order, all objects (and possibly the entire zone of the industrial park) are fenced with endless barbed wire fences with checkpoints. After some wandering along the roads in such a checkpoint, we buried ourselves (a small capital house in which a local watchman lives with his family). No objects could be seen behind the checkpoint, but after long conversations between the driver and the guard, two unpleasant things emerged: 1) only local residents are allowed to enter the area where the Senmusaimi caves are located; 2) to the west, 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 upset (for some reason I really wanted to see them). But there was nothing to do, and we went further - 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 channel of the Kucha River (the distance between them is about 1 km). The western part, located right by the road, is well preserved and visited by all. In the eastern part you need to buy a separate ticket and go on foot (over the bridge over the canal, in which the river now flows, and further along the dry pebble bed).

The Subashi fortress was founded in the 1st century AD during the Han expansion to the west, but its main heyday came 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 stayed 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, including the famous "healer from Subashi" (Subashi witch): a woman's mummy in a high pointed cap, fur coat and with a bag containing a knife and various herbs.

Left: photo of the mummy "the healer from Subashi", and on right: reconstruction of her appearance.

The parking lot is located on the opposite side of the road, next to a narrow but full-flowing canal, through which the Kucha River now flows. Here we talked to a young Italian couple who had arrived in a city taxi - the first and last independent travelers whom we met during our one and a half month trip to China (we actually saw Europeans only five or six times during the whole time, not counting, of course, Chengdu and Beijing).

The ruins themselves look quite ordinary (there are a lot of such historical objects in Xinjiang and Gansu), but against the background of mountains and in the milky-yellowish diffused light, everything looks very cool. Plus, as usual, an incredible amount 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 of adobe bricks (adobe, adob) 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 are the ruins of two large structures: the Hall of the Western Temple (in the photo below - on the right) and the Stupa of the Western Temple (in the photo below - in the far left).

From the ticket office (in the photo below - in the background) looped paths in the form of wooden flooring diverge across the territory. Almost immediately to the right (in the photo on the left) 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 Hall of the Western Temple (in the left photo - on the right at the edge of the photo) to the farthest ruins of one of the stupas (in the left photo - in the far center), and then turns east (left) towards the Stupa of the Western Temple ...

On the way to the Stupa of the western temple, we crossed paths with the Italians walking towards them (they walked “correctly” - clockwise) and exploited them for photographing together.

In the photo below: Italians on 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 bypasses the Stupa of the western temple from the back side and from here you can clearly see the modern steps leading to the top of the stupa (there seems to be a small Buddhist sanctuary, contrary to strict Chinese rules).

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 "Gupta type" stupa (see).

In the right photo below, at the top of the platform, you can clearly see a modern structure with two arched openings.

From the stupu of the western temple, the path goes straight and down to the ticket office past pebble mounds, under which there are probably unexplored ruins of buildings and structures (or maybe excavated and backfilled).

One of the main problems of archaeologists during excavation and restoration of adobe and similar structures in terms of material is the subsequent conservation of what has been excavated and restored. Walls exposed to rains and winds (in ancient times they were coated with protective plaster), after cleaning them from soil, collapse very quickly, so excavation and conservation should go more or less synchronously.

Conservation of structures made of sandstone, clay, adobe, etc. carried out by their continuous processing from special sprayers with a solution of "liquid glass". Although “liquid glass” (an aqueous solution of sodium or potassium silicates) is a fairly cheap reagent, gigantic volumes and technical difficulties in performing such work (which are often carried out in remote desert areas, on the cliffs of gorges with cave temples, etc.) lead to the fact that chemical conservation projects of this kind are very expensive.

From the side, the walls of the Western Temple Hall seem even more majestic, especially in comparison with human figures.

We returned to the ticket office, went to the parking lot and were already in the city at about 17:15.

They asked the driver to drop us off at the market, where they bought five kebabs, lavash and tomatoes (we decided to have dinner in the room).

We observed how pita bread is prepared.

Apparently, this bakery is popular: lavash is packed in large colorful boxes and respectable uncles come for it in expensive cars.

Dined in the room. The mutton kebab seemed too fat to us (fortunately, there was something to drink), and the appetizing-looking lavash was tough and completely bland. Melon and tea with honey and wonderful local tincture lifted the mood.

We decided not to experiment anymore and, if possible, ate boz, local dumplings and steamed buns with meat filling. And, of course, we ate the wonderful local watermelons and melons from the bottom of our hearts.

We didn't go anywhere in the evening - we were resting. Tomorrow morning we are going to the Grand Canyon.

A journey to the ancient city of Kucha كۇچار - about the crossroads of Buddhism and Islam, the watchtower of the Great Silk Road Kizil Gaha, the Shariah court, and why does the Cave of a Thousand Buddhas have “ears”?

Kucha (Kuchar) (Uig. كۇچار, Chinese. 库车 in ancient Chinese was referred to as 龟兹) -oasis in 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 the commercial center of the Great Silk Road... Gold, copper, lead, tin and leather were exported from the city. The dry today Kuchin land was once fertile, the city was famous for an abundance of fruits, wrote the monk Xuanzang 玄奘 (602–664) in his notes. The city was also large center of Buddhism... According to Xuanzang, there were about 100 monasteries and 1,000 monks here. However, only a few monuments of Buddhism have survived to this day: the Thousand Buddha Cave in Kyzyl, Kamtur Cave, Kyzylgakha, Senmusaimi, the ruins of Subashi. The Thousand Buddha Cave 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 in the now Muslim world. This is clearly shown by the Kuchar Halqa Jamasi mosque built in the 15th century. AD by black hodjas, the second largest after Id Kah.

The pile was guarded by wide walls, and watchtowers stood in the vicinity of the city. One of these towers, the watchtower of Kizilgakh, has survived to this day and still proudly continues its patrol in solitude.

First impressions

The train journey from Korla to Kucha takes only 3 hours. It is surprising that these two cities are separated by only three hours, and what a huge difference between them. A bunch of completely Uyghur city, because it has all the trappings: Uyghur supermarkets and restaurants on every corner, one-story clay houses with skillfully decorated doors, beautiful domestic pigeons of rare breeds soar in the sky, an abundance of police cars and surveillance cameras, and of course the Uyghurs themselves. According to official statistics for 2013, Uyghurs occupy 87.68% of Kucha's population, and according to unofficial statistics, probably all 97%. The Han people have their own, separate area (on the map below 8-14) from which they apparently rarely leave, because they are not visible at all in the Uyghur areas. Rare contact with the Han population explains why many local Uyghurs practically do not know Chinese.

On some signs, the city is now designated in Uyghur as كۇچا (Kucha) without the letter P.
Taxi prices here start from 5 yuan, there are already two night surveillance cameras installed, we saw this for the first time, because usually one camera is enough. In the meantime, I had my own GoPro camera attached to my briefcase, and I wanted to relive those moments over and over watching the video when I got back from Watan.

Unlike Korla, Kuca is a more casual city, it does not try to impress because it already has popularity 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 contemplate our historical monuments.

Budget

Food prices are the same as in Urumqi. Taxi from RMB 5. To the Thousand Buddha Cave in Kyzyl about 200-250 yuan, entrance 70 yuan. Ticket to the Grand Canyon 40 RMB. Hotels here are much more expensive than Urumqi or Kashgar, from 300 yuan and more.

Important landmarks in Kuqa

Kucha modern city map

The Uyghur part of the city, the most important and interesting part of it, is marked on the map 1-7 ... Here are the remains of the ancient city wall, the palace of the ruler of Kucha, the same mosque Kuqar Halqa Jamasi(Great Mosque) and traditional Uyghur houses.

Kuqar Halqa Jamasi Great Mosque of Kucha city

The mosque is located at: 库车 县 旧城 黑 墩 巴扎, marked with a number on the map 7 .

The mosque was built in the middle of the 15th century. BC by black hodjas on the orders of Isaac Abduvali. This is the only mosque in the whole of Watan in which the building has been preserved. Shariah court... The area of ​​the mosque is 1165 m², the capacity is 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. Inside the mosque, you can admire the high level of Uyghur calligraphy art as well as wood carving. Since 1976 it has been protected as an important historical site, so it is not possible to enter the mosque everywhere. However, the Uyghurs still pray here.

Khans Palace Kuqarhan Ordisi

Located at: 库车 县 林基 路街, marked with a number on the map 5 .

Click on the images to enlarge them

The present palace was destroyed, and in 2014 a new palace was built in its place. The admission fee is RMB 55 and is a rip-off for this place. After all, there is nothing interesting or historically valuable in the new palace, it is just a breeding ground for propaganda. True, the last Bek Kuchi, Davut Makhsut, nevertheless had a chance to live here 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 the palace.

Bazaar

If time permits, then it is worth taking a walk through the bazaar. Here Uyghurs sell atlas, traditional Uyghur medicines, household utensils, etc. Marked under the number on the map 3 .

Walking along the sultry Kucha, we came across a beautiful building with Uyghur restaurants. It was cozy and cool inside, the friendly Kizchaq treated us to fresh juice. You could not wish for better for exhausted pilgrims like us. On the map, this place is somewhere between the point 2 and 7.

However, all the most interesting is waiting for you outside the city.

Map of the environs 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 not difficult to visit. The tower was built in the early period of the Great Silk Road, once it guarded the inhabitants of the city warning of an impending enemy raid. it one of the oldest towers Of the Great Silk Road preserved to this day. Now she stands here observing the course of our history, we switched to a new religion, the authorities changed and a new political system came, and the tower continues to stand here reminding about the connection of times, about the experience of history and respect for it.

Not far from the tower are located the Kizil Qargha caves. There are about 47 temples, images have survived only in 10 of them. Unfortunately this cave is closed to tourists.

Next stop is the Cave of a Thousand Buddhas ... ..

On the way there, we saw an amazing picture of "wind sculptures", which are called "Yardangs"(Uig. steep slope) and represent loamy ridges with steep slopes, elongated along the prevailing winds, having a rather bizarre shape. Interestingly, there are Yardangs on Mars as well.

Watan Yardangs are currently on the waiting list UNESCO as a candidate for recognition as a World Heritage Site
Although the whole area is painted in yellowish tones, the variety of shades of these seemingly discreet colors is striking, sometimes there are shades of red here 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. The scale of the cave is truly amazing, its length is about 2 kilometers, so all of its temples simply do not fit into the camera lens. At the foot of the cave sits thoughtfully a Kumarajiva (344-413 AD) Buddhist monk, scholar and translator.


You can take pictures with a professional camera only at his monument; in front of the stairs leading to the caves, the cameras must be handed over. This is due to the negative effect of 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 at the delicate art of painting, the colors and the details of the frescoes, as 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. Each temple has night surveillance cameras.
Everything takes place in the obligatory accompaniment of the workers of the Caves, who are mostly Uyghurs.

Click on the image to enlarge it.

However, the most interesting temples are located on the other side of the Cave, they were built in a later period and belong to the era of strong Uyghur influence, therefore they are painted in red tones. Various studies write that there is a huge hall with the remains of clay sculptures of Buddhas.

Hearing that they would let us into only five temples and hide from us all the most interesting, I began to be indignant that they wanted to hide the Uyghur history. Suddenly one of the workers carefully led me out of the temple and said in a whisper that the cameras installed in the temples also record conversations. This is done in order to carefully monitor what the guide says and what the 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.

On propaganda, Islamic and communist destruction of temples

The guide specifically tells and points at the Buddhas whose faces were allegedly scratched by the Uighurs after the adoption of 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 it was nevertheless done by the Islamists, then this is a clear example of what blind fanaticism leads to, and not only religious, because the Red Army also destroyed temples.
When I asked about the destruction of the frescoes by the Red Army, the guide nervously glanced at the security cameras.

Then tourists are shown a whole separate temple, destroyed and converted into a 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, on which there were once Buddhas, now in crookedly written white hieroglyphs, it is written about the destruction of the cave by foreigners and about its restoration. In general, comrade 韩 乐 然 was so eager to preserve the caves that he decided to fuss about it on the site 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.

Kumtura Buddhist Caves

Name in Chinese 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 survived, only 10 are 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. On the frescoes themselves there is Uyghur writing; 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 Lecock.
Since 1961 it has been a protected state object. Since 1999 it has been under the auspices of UNESCO... In 2012, the government allocated 16 million yuan ($ 2,367,564) for restoration.
The cave is closed to tourists.

Click on the images to enlarge them

The ancient city of Subash or the ruins of an ancient fortress

It is called 苏巴什 佛寺 遗址 in Chinese and is marked with a number on the map 4 .
It was here in 1990 that several "Tarim mummies" were found, among them the famous "healer from Subashi" (Subashi witch): a woman's mummy in a high pointed cap, fur coat and a bag containing a knife and various herbs. And also the Buddhist sharira - VI-VII centuries.
There were Buddhist monasteries in which 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 was its decline. Subsequently, the city was completely abandoned.

Thousand Buddha Cave Senmusaimu

Marked on the card 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 do not know how to get there either.

Grand Canyon Kiziliya

If you dream of visiting the Grand Canyon in the USA, then the Kuchin Canyon will be very interesting for you. It is in no way inferior to the Canyon in the states. The Grand Canyon is approximately 3.7 km long. The maximum depth is about 100 m, the width is from 0.5 to 50 m.The average height of the terrain above sea level is about 1600 m, the highest point is 2048 m.

The sight of bright red-brownish rocks, decorated with exquisite carvings, pleases the eye of everyone who has been here.

Political environment, 2017

That all changed here with the arrival of the controversial Chen Quanguo in 2016, as secretary of the XUAR Communist Party. Chen Quanguo was formerly the secretary of Tibet and gained a bad reputation for his love of 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 resembles a border point of some Central Asian country - the feeling is as if you are going to another country, not a city. Cars are passed through an X-ray car scanner, which checks for explosives.

All passengers are required to get out of the car and pass the check. Foreigners are taken to a separate window, where their passports are scanned and asked about the purpose of the trip. Tourists who travel with travel agencies are easily missed. There are a lot of questions only to single tourists or tourists from Muslim countries and "stans" of Central Asia. The police checkpoints are surprisingly mostly Uyghurs.

Chinese citizens who pass through the checkpoint have to go through a whole separate process. They take a sample of their voice, eyes, check their phones for the presence of Islamic extremism using a special apparatus. In general, a full bouquet, it remains only to hand over medical tests ...
Kashgar and Khotans are not allowed through and are sent back to Kucha. Before my very eyes, they sent back a dozen Kashgar farmers.

My pro camera was being checked for photos of police convoys when the policeman's gaze lingered on my GoPro, which completely fell out of my mind. In short, they took her away from me, explaining it by "law." I asked what kind of law and is it on paper? When I suddenly noticed on myself the surprised faces of the Uighurs standing in line and the furious look of an impudent policeman. Is it really such a daring question to ask about the law and ask to provide it on paper? In developed countries, among which China is so eager, this is a common norm and is not surprising.

The policeman replied that his words are the law. “So the law here is created by the one who holds the gun in his hands,” I thought ...

Conclusion: You need to have cameras like GoPro, but it's best to hide them, don't pass them through the scan and don't show them to the police.

The ancient city of Kucha is one of the most historically significant cities in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. When it comes to traveling to XUAR, we will definitely visit cities such as Kashgar, Turfan or Gulja. However, there are many other smaller 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 enjoy visiting.

So let's go ...

# 5 place - Watchtower

Despite its relative obscurity, Kucha has a history dating back a thousand years and was previously considered the largest center of Buddhism and the Silk Road.

There are a number of significant archaeological sites around Kucha including Subash, an ancient city, the Thousand Buddha Cave and a watchtower.

The tower reaches a height of 13.5 meters and is 12 km away. north of the city, so it is not difficult to visit. In ancient times, this tower served to warn the inhabitants of Kucha about an impending 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 several hundred years, it has survived fires, earthquakes and erosion, and restoration work has been carried out at the mosque several times.

Thousands of Kuchi Muslims gather here on Fridays to pray. The mosque is located in the city center, for a small fee you can take a guided 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 Uyguria. This is a veritable treasure trove of wall painting. The 236 caves contain about 10,000 m 2 of wall paintings.

The capital of the ancient kingdom was also called Kucha. The kingdom stretched from the foot of the southern slope of the Tien Shan mountains in the north to the Taklamakan desert in the south.

Murals and other Buddhist art found in the grottoes represent the rich culture of a once prosperous kingdom of Kucha.

# 2 place - Tien Shan "Mysterious" Grand Canyon

Yes, yes it is called that: Tien Shan "Mysterious" Grand Canyon. There are many different names for this place, such as "The Grand Canyon of Xinjiang". But I think they should call it "mysterious." Ha!

If you are a photographer (or a beginner like me =)), www .. Like Antelope Canyons in Arizona (USA), red sandstone walls in this canyon surround you at every turn.

It is best to walk along the canyon in the afternoon, when the sun gradually fades into the sunset. You will get to the canyon from Kucha in 1.5 hours.

# 1 place - Good old town Kucha

Like most cities in the southern part of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Kucha boasts that it has both an "Old City" and a "New City". www .. Kashgar can no longer boast of this, as their "Old City" is almost completely destroyed.

The ancient city of Kucha, with the exception of a small "facelift", remains largely untouched, which makes it pleasant to walk and provides an opportunity to enjoy the ancient Uyghur architecture.

In the evenings, I love going to the markets, enjoying delicious drinks, food and local ice cream. You will need these ingredients to enjoy walking along the streets of this unique eastern town.

Conclusion

Traveling along the Kucha will not be to everyone's taste, since getting to the city is not entirely easy, there are few hotels, and the lack of luxury that tourists are looking for.

Heap is a very beautiful city that has 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?