Xinjiang Gallery 1a

IAN'S PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY

XINJIANG GALLERY 1a

The main ethnic group in this region are the Uighurs and Kazakhs who are predominantly Muslims. The romanticism that one associates with the Silk Road tend to focus in this region. The Silk Road was an important route that linked China to Europe and the Middle East, where Chinese silk and tea were sought after commodities. Urumuqi, the provincial capital of Xinjiang, is also the western end of the rail service in China.

From Urumuqi, it was a 2D 2N non-stop energy sapping bus ride cutting across the Taklamakan Desert and on to Kashgar.

		Jiayuguan Fort was built during the Ming Dynasty to complement an earlier built western Great Wall. This Western Great Wall also marked the western boundary of the empire.
		Introspective shot of the entrance to the Jiayuguan Fort
		Taken at Jiayuguan Fort
		Crescent Moon lake near Dunhuang. Dunhuang is, of course, famous for its excellent Buddhist Grottoes at the Mogao Caves. The Buddhist artwork is represented from the era of the Wei, Zhou, Sui, Tang and Yuan dynasties.
		Ornamental knives for sale at souvenior stall in Turpan. Turpan was definetely the hottest place I'd been. There was a constant need to rehydrate.
		Emin minaret near Turpan
		Noodle maker at Turpan.
		Taken with some other pan-Asian travellers at the Gaochang Ruins near Turpan.
		Taken in the surroundings of Flaming Mountains near Turpan. The Flaming Mountains were the famous ones in the Chinese classic Journey to the West.
		Cross culture potrait. Taken with local Uighurs and other travellers.


		Silk Road Index Page Xinjiang Gallery 1b

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