High Tartary - China's Xinjiang Province
Group Tour dates:
4 to 19 September 2012
Why join this tour?
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Dramatic scenery from the snow-capped Tien Shan to Turfan’s flaming red deserts
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The wonderful fresco cave-art of world famous Dunhuang and Beiting and Turfan’s Emin
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Xinjiang Museum’s fabulous archaeological and textile collections and famous mummies
Tour Summary
The Sinkiang Uighur Autonomous Province of western China is home to the Turkic-speaking peoples of China. It is a region of dramatic and breathtakingly beautiful scenery; the snow-capped Tien Shan (Heavenly Mountains) range dominates the horizon, providing a dramatic contrast with the flaming red deserts of Turfan. Today the Uighur and Kazak peoples are now predominantly Muslim, but until medieval times Buddhists, Christians and Manichaeans lived in the region’s cities, the most famous being Turfan and Dunhuang which have left rich archaeological, textile and textual legacies, as well as the famous mummies that are now housed in the world-class Urumqi Museum.
Whilst the famous-complex at Dunhuang is well known, the ravishing frescoes in the Buddhist caves at Beiting, the summer capital of the Uighur Khans, have not been open to the public until recently. However, as early as the Neolithic era, people began to settle in Xinjiang, seen in the remarkable petroglyphs at the spectacular setting at Kangyia Shimenzi and the house at Langhouzwani. Today, Kazak horsemen still follow the nomadic lifestyle, tending their herds and living in yurts, coming into frontier towns such as Barkol to trade and purchase provisions.
This tour is operated by our sister company The Traveller. For more details on our group tours to China or the day-to-day itinerary, please contact The Traveller on 020 7269 2770 or visit The Traveller website.
Tailor made option available – contact us for more details