Wall ruins believed to be capital of ancient kingdom

URUMQI - Ruins of city walls have been discovered in Northwest China's Lop Nor Desert, the site of the former capital of Loulan, a prosperous settlement built about 2,000 years ago to serve passing traders traveling the Silk Road.

The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region's Institute of Archaeology said excavations had unearthed a circular wall with a diameter of 300 meters. The base of the wall is 2.2 to 2.7 m wide, while the highest remaining part is 2.5m tall.