Author: karl

Upal Kashgar: 45 km west of Kashgar, this oasis pilgrim stop shelters the tomb of Mahmud al-Kashgari. Transport, tickets and best-time tips for travellers.

Plan a trip to the Altun Mountains in Xinjiang: the road south from Ruoqiang, permits, Tibetan antelope and wild yak, the best season and the real limits.

Plan a visit to the Miran ruins near Ruoqiang: the Buddhist oasis’s fort, stupas and winged figures, with water, access and timing for the Lop Nur edge.

Visit the Loulan Museum Ruoqiang to see the 3,800-year Loulan Beauty mummy and Silk Road relics for free, with no travel permit needed for the lost city.

See the Xinjiang Regional Museum before your trip: the Loulan Beauty, the Five Stars brocade, Silk Road relics, free ticket and the booking step to book.

Ulungur Lake guide: Fuhai’s Xinjiang fishing lake, with what to eat, where to stay, how to get there and the best season to visit in summer and winter.

Gaochang Ruins guide: Turpan’s other ancient city, its outer walls, palace quarter and Buddhist district, plus the Astana tombs and how to visit nearby.

Bezeklik caves near Turpan: a guide to the Uyghur Buddhist cliff murals, Xuanzang’s 629 stop, the Silk Road palette, and the art layers most visitors miss.

The Kizil caves hold Xinjiang’s oldest Buddhist murals: what the diamond-grid paintings show, how the blue was made, and where the looted panels went.

The Kumtagh desert stops at the edge of Shanshan town. Our guide covers the two wind geology, sand therapy, tickets, trains from Urumqi and best hours.