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Writer's pictureSimon De

A Journey into the Gobi in search of a lost city

Updated: Oct 16



Jiuquan to Ejin Banner & Khara Khoto

This leg of the journey was without doubt one of the handful of areas that I was most looking forward to experiencing in China. The drive took us through about 360km of the famous Gobi Desert, where we would eventually arrive at Ejin Banner, a local administrative region of outer Mongolia (albeit still within China administratively). The city of Ejin Banner had little allure to me, it is what is nearby (about 18km distance), the famous Heicheng Historic Site (“HHS”), as it is presently called, that had drawn me off on a nearly 720km round trip detour. The site lies at approximately the following coordinates: 41°45'50"N 101°08'52"E.

 

HHS has gone by a wide array of names. Marco Polo called it “Etzina” when he travelled through (I provide more detail on Marco Polo’s thoughts on Khara Khoto, below). The name which I intend to use herein is “Khara Khoto” (pronounced: “Hara Hoe-Toe”) meaning “[the] Black City”; this is the name which is used by the local Mongol people, though most of the prior names translate roughly to “Black City” or “Black Water”.

 

The Journey

Firstly, on the journey, it was indeed golden. As we travelled through the Gobi towards Ejin Banner and Khara Khoto, the landscape changed from the fertile fields around Jiuquan to alternating between desert scrub and seemingly endless tracks of flat gravel, which reminded me of images of the surface of Mars. At times this view simply disappeared into elevation which one cannot see over, or mirage. Where we were in an elevated position a fascinating view to distant mountains across the scrub was on display, I attempted to take some photos of this but likely failed to capture its full awe-inspiring grandeur. I will see what I can do with edited photos later. The scrubland as one progressed closer to our destination becomes covered in many desert plants where it appears that successive generations of such plants form a sort of root ball which eventually becomes a small mound, which one could even mistake for a ruined wooden structure at times. In some areas small desiccated (and some living) trees were sighted, which was not expected, they must be a hardy variety indeed to survive such a place.

 

A few shots of the desolate landscape en route:



Why Khara Khoto?

I have tried to gauge why it is that I have found the site of Khara Khoto to be so alluring as I read through various pieces of Silk Road literature. After some thought I believe it to be as follows.


Firstly, it simply has a fascinating history with a little bit of legend thrown in (more on this history below).


Secondly, its repeat presence and description in the Silk Road literature, from its discovery by P.K. Kozlov in 1908 and subsequent visits by Sir Marc Aurel Stein and Sven Hedin (and others), it is mentioned, and its descriptions place it well in the “lost city” category; this is a topic which I think one would struggle to not find interesting or at least amusing. From Hiram Bingham’s discovery of Macchu Picchu in the Andes, Albert Schliemann’s discovery of what is thought to be Troy in Turkey, and to what may have been the famed Atlantis now buried on the Island of Thera (Santorini) in the Aegean after a cataclysmic eruption, one cannot help but find each of these “lost city” stories fascinating in their own right. Arriving at a city nearly buried by sand in the desert certainly fits this category in my view and its relatively isolated location and it being lesser known adds to the allure for me personally.


Thirdly, as with other similar sites, it is steeped in its own legends. From that regarding buried gold (more on this below in the history section), to those of evil spirits inhabiting the site that whisper on the sandy winds; when the Japanese film crew as part of a Silk Road documentary collaboration with NHK (it's amazing, do watch it) and the Chinese government in the early 1980s visited the Khara Khoto site, their guides refused to enter on account of this.

 

Of relevance to both "Why Khara Khoto" and its History (below), see the following selection of maps. I would suggest checking Google earth using the satellite layer to get a sense of the isolation of the place. If you plug in the coordinates or simply search "Heicheng Historic Site" you will go right to it. I did not create these save the Google Earth screenshot on the right, both left and center are from Wikipedia, with center originally drafted by Sir Marc Aurel Stein.



The History of Khara Khoto

Thought to have been originally built in 1032, it was inhabited by the Western Xia people (who spoke the Sino-Tibetan language, Tangut) who made it their capital city. The Western Xia existed as a power alongside the Song Dynasty in China and the Liao peoples. According to Marco Polo and consistent with current scholarship, the Western Xia inhabitants of Khara Khoto were prosperous albeit largely focused on their own local consumption, and on serving travellers passing through and allowing them to provision before the long trek through the Gobi Desert, rather than being engaged in broader regional trade. That many different cultures passed through the city seems beyond doubt, given the discovery there of documents covering (to date) 11 different languages (excluding various dialects of each). The physical site itself is orderly and with an impressive wall (keep in mind it was originally adjacent a river – not a barren waste surrounded by the Gobi) as the images below indicate, and with subsequent Ming accounts of 10,000 or more livestock being taken in conquest, it stands to reason that the city was relatively prosperous in its day.[1]


This accords with Marco Polo’s account where he writes as follows: “Leaving this city of Kampion [presently, Zhangye] and travelling for twelve days in a northerly direction, you come to a city named Edzina, at the commencement of the sandy desert, and within the province of Tangut. The inhabitants are idolators. They have camels, and much cattle of various sorts […] The fruits of the soil and the flesh of the cattle supply the wants of the people, and they do not concern themselves with trade. Travellers passing through this city lay in a store of provisions for forty days, because […] that space of time is employed in traversing a desert, where there is not any appearance of dwelling, nor are there any inhabitants.”[2]


Unfortunately for the Xia/Tangut inhabitants, the city was conquered by the Mongols / Genghis Khan in 1226. However, it seems that the city did continue to prosper (and even expanded) for some time following this typically cataclysmic event. It was later in 1372 that it appears the city was finally conquered and set to ruin. The Ming Dynasty lay siege to the city at that time, allegedly diverting its water supply to hasten the end of the siege. Legend provides various accounts relating to the then Mongol ruler of Khara Khoto, Khara Bator, including that he died to suicide after murdering his own family, and also that he escaped through a gap in the walls that exists to this day. Similarly, legends persist that either during the initial Mongol conquest or during the later Ming conquest some 70-80 cartloads of gold were buried in the well to spare it being handed over. Whatever the truth of these events, there is no doubt that Khara Khoto’s time as a site of human habitation ended around 1372, and this is reflected in the archaeological and topographical record (i.e. the diversion of the river is evident today).[3]


As mentioned above, aside from the few locals in so isolated a location, the first European to re-discover Khara Khoto was Russian Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov, in 1908 and 1909. The historical record seems to indicate that Kozlov may have been guided to the site by the work of a Mongolian local, by the name of Tsogto Badmazhapov, who had visited and photographed the site, and also wrote a report regarding it. Unfortunately, it seems that for various reasons Kozlov and the Russian Geographical Society decided not to credit Badmazhapov with the initial discovery. More details on this can be found in this great video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wjy8MnNJhg


Kozlov acquired many artifacts from the site and these now reside in St. Petersburg. Various other Silk Road explorers whom readers of the typical Silk Road literature will know also visited the site, including Aurel Stein and Sven Hedin. It seems that Stein would do the first proper survey of the site (the British were excellent at this during the Great Game and after), his survey map is included in the images I have added above. What is perhaps most interesting about the archaeological record of the site is how the art is utilised to learn about the inhabitants of the site in a way not dissimilar to how it is used to demonstrate the transient peoples and religions all along the Silk Road. According to the archaeological record in the art, habitation in Khara Khoto by the Western Xia/Tangut peoples ended around 1212 (or just before the Mongol Conquest), and habitation by the Mongols/Chinese/Mings ended around 1387. Perhaps the fact that Tangut text is absent from 1212, when the Mongols conquered the city only in 1226, is due to the fact that it may have taken them some time to actually create such documents (or at least in sufficient number for them to have a chance at survival until 1908 onwards); that would make some sense to me given how beautiful the central Asian calligraphy is across languages – I have now had the privilege to witness a great many manuscripts from the British Museum in London, to the Museums in Lanzhou and at Dunhuang, and can attest to their quality – the time (and skill) required to produce these documents must have been enormous.


A sample of Tangut script.


My Own Visit

Now that we have established my clear interest in this site, the reader may be asking, “Well, what was it actually like?”. After an anticipation filled drive, preparing my camera and other equipment, safari jacket and the like, even filming the approach, I finally arrived at the site. Apart from one car of another visitor in the process of leaving as we arrived, and the motorcycle of what I later found out to be the local guard's, it was desolate (as one might expect for such a site – which was thrilling to me). Entering and conversing with the guard, my driver Daniel explained that flying of drones would not be permitted (pity I thought, but not the end of the world). He went on to explain that the guard had also confirmed that the site was in fact closed until further notice and that no entry beyond a small cordoned off area facing the ruined city walls, was permitted. In shock, my disappointment was frankly immeasurable. Everything I want most is always out of reach, I should have known.  I attempted to find various alternatives (which shall remain forever unmentioned) to this predicament, to no avail. So, slightly dazed, I headed of to the corner of the enclosure/prison and decided to try to make the most of it with the cameras. Some samples of this, in my view wholly unsatisfactory/miserable, are below.


A selection of my own photos of the site. I would suggest opening them in a new tab to see at a higher resolution.


I did manage to get a few decent shots of the glorious safari jacket and trousers combination created by tailor Oscar Udeshi (udeshi.co.uk – and also linked on my “Things I adore” page) which I had made to wear to such honoured sites, so at least that aspect was a success; unfortunately, due to its size, the pith helmet had to remain in Canada – wearing it on the plane and train would have been too much - even for me. As I contemplated simply stepping over the fence, notwithstanding the numerous cameras and an advanced drone cruising above, but reason prevailed, alas. I attempted to take a video as I had planned to describe the site, but candidly my disappointment and fluster was evident, so I deleted it and did not bother with further takes.


A few photos from my prison, the sands of Khara Khoto meters out of reach... Safari suit by Oscar Udeshi; Hat from Cordings; Sunglasses from Vallon; Boots from Crockett & Jones.




Amongst my own photos, I have also included a few photos below ­which I did not take, so credit to those who did, as an example of the type of photos I wanted to take, and then use on this very website. I had hoped that my visit would be rather like the following articles:




The following are, unfortunately, not my photos. Left and Center are from Tripadvisor, right is from Reddit. Authors unknown. Please contact me and you will be duly credited.



In any case, with what limited photos that could be taken to capture the site now taken, we headed to Ejin Banner and the hotel. Poor Daniel didn’t dare speak to me on the ride home, my irritation must have been palpable! A fair few beers, some local mutton stew, a decent night’s sleep (actually tears into my pillow – kidding), and a good breakfast later, we left Ejin Banner.


Now, I haven’t been entirely honest with the reader, but there is a second Khara Khoto, accessible en route from Ejin Banner. The Chinese have taken a trick out of the book of others (like Sadaam Hussein with some of the famed monuments of Babylon & Ninevah) and have decided in some places, including with Khara Khoto, to either rebuild or to construct anew a replica of the site in an alternative location. The replica Khara Khoto is about 10km from the site of the real Khara Khoto and curiously it is adjacent a river, perhaps the same one on altered path that once flowed adjacent to the real site.  The faux Khara Khoto comes complete with all the usual amenities which the Chinese have built for en-masse tourism (more on this in a later post). Whilst these elements, and it obviously not being original/haunted etc., take away enormously from the experience I had imagined (I couldn’t possibly enjoy a mere simulacrum now could I – what a miserable shit…), I ultimately decided to pay it a visit (and about 200 yuan...) to try and get some semblance of a fix for my craving. A great deal of work has been done to cause the new site to look as close to how the original would have looked (in some main sections) in its heyday as possible. Whilst this would of course not fully satisfy, it was neat to see, so I have shared some photos etc. below. I did speak with the staff at faux Khara Khoto about a possible entry to the real site and was able to get some movement, but let’s just say the price (my initial hail-Mary offer for an exception was stupidly too high) and the potential consequences made me hesitate. I will just have to return to the site when I finally get to do the K2 North Base Camp trek, hopefully in a couple years. Who is coming with me?


A few shots of the "new" Khara Khoto which the Chinese have built for tourists:


To conclude

It was great to see a site in the flesh which I had wanted to visit for so long, but disappointing not to see it up close, to feel its essence. I suppose the lack of visitors will help preserve the original, so I should be thankful for that. However, I would submit that all such sites should remain open to particularly interested and respectful visitors. I would have completed a visa application and written a paper just to enter it… not to mention financial contribution to its refurbishment. Anyway, what’s done is done.


That’s all for now folks. Next up, the Great Wall, Dunhuang / Mogao Caves and the Northern Silk Road route. Also now taking applications for a future visit to the real Khara Khoto and K2 Basecamp 😊... I should probably do Egypt first, though.


Thanks for reading.


Cheers,

Simon


[1] The Silk Road: China and The Karakorum Highway. Jonathan Tucker, 2015. p96-102.

[2] The Travels of Marco Polo the Venetian. Translated by William Marsden, in Polo, 1948.

[3] The Silk Road: China and The Karakorum Highway. Jonathan Tucker, 2015. p96-102.

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