Tiemenguan Travel Guide

Tiemenguan is a county level city directly administered by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. Tiemenguan City is located at the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains and the eastern part of the Tarim Basin. It is the intersection of the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains and the Northern Slope of the Kunlun Mountains and the only place to pass through in the middle section of the ancient Silk Road. Tiemenguan City is about 50 kilometers from Korla City, the capital of Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang. Tiemenguan City covers an area of 590.27 square kilometers and has a total population of 248,500.

Tiemenguan, the name of the city comes from the Tiemenguan Pass which was one of the 26 famous ancient Chinese passes.

● What to do & where to go in Tiemenguan

Loulan Ancient City is located in the Yadan terrain of Lop Nur in Ruoqiang County on the eastern edge of Tarim Basin, 344 kilometers from Korla City in the northwest, 330 kilometers from Ruoqiang County in the southwest. Inaccessible, the environment is unusually desolate and dangerous. Covering an area of 120,000 square meters, the city is slightly square with a side length of about 330 meters and its walls made of mud, reeds and branches can still be discerned. An ancient river running roughly northwest to southeast runs diagonally through the city, dividing it into northeast and southwest districts. In the northeast area, only the Buddhist pagoda and its nearby buildings remain. The pagoda is 10.4 meters high, made of adobe, glutinous rice pulp and wicker masonry. It is the largest building in the city. In the southwest, there are the remains of the government offices at the time - three houses and some small courtyards. In the ancient city, the wooden parts used for building houses, such as poplar beams, purlins, rafters and so on can be found everywhere, many of which have been chiseled and engraved with patterns, showing a considerable level of craftsmanship. In and around the ancient city there are ancient beacons, granary, tombs and other ruins. The "Beauty of Loulan", a mummified body dating back 3,800 years was also unearthed in the Loulan Tomb Valley. Loulan Ancient City still remains pottery pieces, felt pieces, ancient copper coins, ancient weapons, silk fragments and many other cultural relics.

Milan Ancient City Ruins, a national key cultural relic protection units is located 40 kilometers east of Ruoqiang County. It is composed of the ancient buildings of the Wei and Jin Dynasties around the Tubo Garrison in the Tang Dynasty, as well as the water conservancy facilities of the Han Dynasty and the ruins of Yishun City. The ruins of the ancient city are a group of cross-cultural sites in different ages, including the ruins of the Yishan City in Shanshan State, the ruins of the Han Dynasty and the ruins of the ancient garrison in Tang Dynasty.

● What to eat in Tiemenguan

Mutton pilaf, roast lamb leg, Naan - crispy cake, pilaf stuffed bun, boiled mutton, fried noodles, shish kebab, pear, tomato and so on.

● Transportation

Railway: Tiemenguan Railway Station is 509 kilometers away from Turpan Station and 937 kilometers away from Kashgar Station.

Highway: Tiemenguan City is about 500 kilometers away from Urumqi, the capital city of Xinjiang.

Airport: Tiemenguan City is 57km from the Korla Pear Airport.

● Climate

With the Hola Mountain in the north and the Kuluk Mountain in the east of Tiemengguan, the encroachment of cold air from the north and moist air from the Yanqi Basin into the city has been significantly reduced. Tiemenguan becomes the natural boundary between the climate of northern and southern Xinjiang. It is a warm temperate continental arid climate with 2,990 hours of sunshine and 210 days of frost free period on average. The average annual temperature is 11.4℃, the lowest is -28 ℃, the average annual precipitation is 58.6 mm, the maximum annual evaporation is 2,788.2 mm and the dominant wind direction is northeast.