Black City in the Gobi Desert

Black City in the Gobi Desert

In the early 20th century Russian archaeologist Pyotr Kozlov rediscovered the city and unearthed numerous relics documents and works of art. Nowadays only the remains of the city wall and pagoda are partially covered by sand which is an important historical tourist attraction Ruins of the ancient city of Karacoto Khara-Khoto also known as the "Black City" is located in the heart of the Gobi Desert in China the prosperous fortress city of Western Xia was founded in 1032 and was a trading center on the Silk Road

The city was conquered by Genghis Khan's Mongol army in 1226 and was later abandoned after the defeat of the Ming Dynasty and the change of water course The remains of a Buddhist stupa amidst the sand have been found in the Western Xia Tombs at the foot of Mount Helanshan near the city of Yinchuan it is important evidence of a once prosperous civilization. Li Yuanhao proclaimed himself emperor in 1038.

The Khara-khoto ruins on the Old Silk Road--Western Inner Mongolia , China

It created a culture that was a mix of the Tanggut Han and Tibetan people the pagoda remains of the religious and cultural center that once stood within the city walls numerous documents paintings and ancient artefacts have been found. It is now preserved in the State Hermitage Museum and the Institute of Oriental Studies in St. Petersburg conquered by the Mongol army in the 13th century it was abandoned after the defeat of the Ming dynasty in 1372. It was forgotten for hundreds of years until Russian archaeologists returned to explore and discovered many ancient objects