3. The Hecang Fortress

The relics of the Hecang Fortress or Big Square City, located 60 kilometers away from the Dunhuang county, had been a military warehouse for grains, clothes and hay for soldiers and horses in the northwest Great Wall's forts and watchtowers since the West Han dynasty(BC 202- 9 AD).

 

 

Dunhuang, a county on the Silk Road

A landmark stone sign denotes the relics of the Hecang Fortress or Big Square City in Dunhuang county of northwest China's Gansu province. [Photo by Fan Chen]

 

 

 

Dunhuang, a county on the Silk Road
The ruined walls of military warehouse stand in the Gobi Desert. At a length of 132 meters and 17 meters in width, the clay walls have stood for thousands of years. [Photo by Fan Chen]

 

 

 

Dunhuang, a county on the Silk Road

The clay-made wall is exposed to high winds in northwest China's Gobi desert. The former military warehouse had played a very import role in frontier defense from BC 104 to AD 420. [Photo by Fan Chen]

 

 

8.03K
...
   
Share your cities!