Silk Roads: Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor

Visited in June 2024. For such a grand serial site, the Silk Road, it's a shame that I only had time to visit one component of it in Xi'an: the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda lives up to its name. It's giant (but doesn't look like a goose) and rises above of all the modern stuff that has been built around it. When you arrive to the district where the pagoda is located you wouldn't believe first that there is a very historical monument somewhere nearby. The district is more like an open-air shopping mall with all the international brands you can think of. But in the middle of it all rises the ancient pagoda, still looking magnificent and mystical despite all the modern entertainment around it.

With small entry fee you can enter the Daci'en Temple area around the pagoda and visiting inside the pagoda is with extra fee. We didn't pay the entry for the pagoda as we were in a rush to catch our train but wanted to see this site before departing Xi'an. The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda was built in around 648 – 649 during the Tang dynasty and is famous for holding Buddhist sutras and statues that were brought from India. The visit is worthwhile even if you just stroll around the Daci'en Temple area without going inside the pagoda. The temple is very busy with people praying and taking photos. I thought the temple buildings were beautiful and …

While the Silk roads are of very important cultural significant I find the areas included not always of high value. Most people will auto-tick this with a visit of Xi'an, a magnificent city and well worth a 3 day trip, or some WHS enthusiasts will tick this off by going to Luoyang to visit the grottoes. While I've also done both there are many reviews about them already and as it's been over 4 years since the last review I thought I can focus on a less visited part of the Chinese section.

A visit to Turpan, Xinjiang (well, if you want to call it China is debatable but I'm not political) gives you several highlights of the area to fill a good 3 day trip. There are the Karez Wells, the hot 70 degree Celcius desert, Grape Valley, and there is a the silk road. There are two spots actually, but only Yar City is an easy reach by taxi without leaving the city limits. There are no police checks but there is no public bus, and taxi apps aren't used until further notice. It's best to get contacts from a driver who either waits or you can ask the reception or security guards to call you a taxi. Sometimes they will also show up randomly.

The entrance cost is typically steep for China's sites and you don't even get a proper museum. There are a few halls about the history and then you need to take …

As some others were described I will focus on less popular: Talgar (Kazakhstan) and Suyab - Ak Beshim (Kyrgyzstan), both visited in July, 2017.

Talgar can be easily visited from Almaty town as a half-day trip. There is a convenient public bus from Sayakhat Bus Terminal (Avtovokzal Sayakhat) that goes directly to Talgar town (last bus stop). From town center there are around 3 km to the archeological excavations. From bus station cross the bridge and take the first main street to the right and follow the main road up the river. The place should be at the end of the street. Mind that there are no road-signs but at least local people know it and can direct you provided you know some Russian.

In fact coordinates on our website are wrong as they show a place in the city center. Good coordinates are 43°16'47.1"N 77°13'19.0"E as they should show the the place called on Google Maps “Талгарское Городище” (Talgar Borough). Archeological remains covers relatively huge area although there is not much left apart from the reconstructed town gate (on the photo). There area is currently utilized as grazing ground for sheep, horses and cattle. Reconstructed town gate is interesting but during my visit it was closed (no information about opening hours).

Suyab (Ak-Beshim) can be easily visited together with Burana as it is located some 12 km from the site. Moreover I was surprised that taxi drivers knows the place (and the way how to get). …

I visited the Burana Tower which is approximately 70km from the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek.

The Burana Tower was a stop on the silk road and served as both a minaret and an inland lighthouse for caravans.

The site is very easy to visit and is right outside the town of Tokmok. Any taxi in town should be able to take you there. There is a small entry fee.

In addition to the tower, there is a small cemetery with headstones with engraved images of the person who is buried.

Read more about my trip to: Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor

There is something mysterious about “Silk Roads” as there are few comparable sites that can capture an adventurous heart like Silk Roads can. With the reminiscences of ancient trading caravans, exotic arts and cultures, unfamiliar architecture of faraway land in the different side of the world, stories of Marco Polo and Xuanzang, or even the classical fantasy of Journey to the West, making Silk Roads not just a World Heritage Site but as the ideal representative of global cultural exchange that should be celebrated. Since the route networks differ throughout the long history and their different roles in each regional development, I am fine with the corridor approach. Among many ancient sites I have seen along the routes in Xi’an – Luoyang which were the capitals of China from Han to Tang Dynasties, only six places have been chosen by Chinese authority, Longmen Grottoes and Dingding Gate near Luoyang, Hangu Pass in Sanmenxia, and Xi’an’s Big and Small Wild Goose Pagodas and Weiyang Palace.

For Luoyang, actually I expected that the famous White Horse Temple will be one of the selections, but thinking again that the temple actually is not quite authentic after Red Guard vandalism and the new development like Thai and Indian temples. The Han and Northern Wei ruins near the temple were not open for public yet during my visit, so I only focused on Tang and Sui part and the famous Longmen Grottoes. The Tang and Sui ruins are under the modern city of Luoyang, …

I visited Xi'an in November 2013. My main objective was to visit the Terracotta Warriors sites. Knowing however that the ancient silk road actually begins at Chang'an (now Xian), I allowed a full day to visit the old city with its Big and Small Wild Goose Pagodas, the City Walls, the Bell Tower, the Drum Tower, etc. I enjoyed my time in Xi'an and would have loved to spend another night there. I hope that one day I'll be able to visit some other sites (in Kazakhistan for example) to be able to see the similarities or differences from the sites inscribed in China.

Perusing the list of 33 sites included in this nomination one starts in the East with reasonably well known ones in Xian – the Wild Goose Pagodas and then on through 2 existing WHS at Longmen and Mogao and finally into the Tienshan area itself after which this part of the Silk Route has been named. And there is one in this group which I recognised – Burana in Kyrgyzstan!

We visited this site back in 2004. It is situated around 70kms east of the capital Bishkek on the road to Lake Issyk Kul. Now. Kyrgyzstan is a place to visit primarily for its mountains and (at least in those days) the remains of its nomadic traditions – one highlight of our visit was to hear a Manaschi chanting the world’s longest epic poem (not the whole thing luckily as it extends to half a million lines!). Major historical sites are not the country’s strong point. Burana was a “stop off” visit therefore as much to break the morning’s drive to Issyk Kul as to see anything “remarkable”.

And, in all honesty, what is on show isn’t that great – the stubby remains of a once much taller minaret now called the “Burana Tower” set against an attractive mountain background (photo). Constructed in brick, it has been heavily restored even at its reduced height. I was interested to note that the AB evaluation states “Minor repairs on the minaret at Burana were carried out in the 1970s using cement. The …

Xi'an is probably the starting point for visiting this massive WHS. How appropriate, because during the golden age of Tang Dynasty China, "All roads led to Chang'an." My visit took place in 2006 (early travels), and China was like nothing I had ever seen.

I explored much of the city, but sadly I did not venture out to see the ruined Han or Tang palaces located outside modern-day Xi'an.

What I do remember most is the massive "Great Wild Goose Pagoda". This tremendous structure dates back to 702 AD. Standing at 64 meters, the view from the top windows are stunning on a clear day (somewhat rare). You can see all of Xi'an, including the extensive city wall, and the "Small Wild Goose Pagoda".

Overall, my two days in Xi'an were unforgettable. Certainly, there are challenges, the city is on 24 hour construction mode. Which inevitably produces even more dust than what is already in the air. Traffic is jam packed, much of the historical sites lacked (at the time) English information. Nevertheless, these side factors did not prevent me from having a memorable and enjoyable experience.

While I only saw a small (but key) portion of this "route", I am glad it began in Xi'an. For the future, I hope to visit more historical sites on the Silk Road. Hopefully, this transnational WHS expands West, East, and South with additional countries proposing sites on the Silk Road.

During my Grand Tour of China in 2007, I visited two stretches of this Silk Road nomination. In Xi'an, where there's a lot to see anyway, I saw the two Wild Goose Pagoda's. According to my notes, I found the Small one "rustic" and the Great one a bit tacky as it is located inside an amusement park. Both sites are well on the beaten track in Xi'an (maybe the city's best-known sites next to the Terracotta Warriors), but I can't say it was a very memorable visit.

Much more interesting was my detour to Gansu Province, in the far northwest of China. After Dunhuang with its Mogao Caves, I rented a taxi for a day and the guy drove me around to all kinds of interesting places. Far, far out in the desert lie the remains of the Yumen Pass. It was very cold (November!), and there were no other people around. Normally you would have to pay an entrance fee, but we were either too early in the day or too late in the season. The Yumen Pass was a former border post of the Han Empire. There's only one bulky structure left. As the temperature was around the freezing point, I just sprinted there to take some pictures and go back quickly to the warmth of the car.

Between Dunhuang and the Yumen Pass lie several other Silk Road-related structures: some are inscribed and others not. A few original Great Wall remains and the ruins …