The Western Xia Imperial Tombs
1 min readThe Western Xia Imperial Tombs cover an area of 40 square kilometers, located 30 kilometers west of Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The tombs were created by the founder of the Western Xia Kingdom (1038-1237), Li Yuanhao, who built over 70 tombs—one for himself, some for his relatives and more to be left empty, probably against theft.
The Western Xia Imperial Tombs are composed of two architectural units, with the tomb gardens above ground and underground palaces. All the tomb gardens face south, and their architectural forms above ground have some unique characteristics.
Each main tomb occupies an area of more than 100,000 square meters, surrounded by inner and outer walls. At each corner of the tomb gardens are watchtowers. The Western Xia Imperial Tombs are made of earth and brick, reflecting the culture of the ancient western kingdom .
The Western Xia Imperial Tombs
