Unfortunately, all the statuary and even many of the murals in the Bezeklik Caves were removed in the 19th century by European archaeologist adventurers. The Astana cemetery dating from 200 AD contains several graves painted with murals and the mummified bodies of the occupants. The corpses avoided decomposition due to the extremely dry climate and now most of the Astana mummies are in Urumqi Museum.
80% of the town’s population are Uighurs, one of China’s minority peoples, Moslems, whose physical characteristics are more Central Asian than Han Chinese. Visit the bazaar, thronging with people, donkeys and carts with the smell of barbequed kebab in the air and in the evening sit under the grape trellises watching traditional Uighur dances and singing.
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