The Ancient City Ruins of Asksar in Kashgar
The Asksar Ancient City Ruins (艾斯克萨古城遗址) are located on the southeastern outskirts of Kashgar (喀什市). Most of the site is occupied by factories, but a section of the ancient city walls, about 7-8 meters long and nearly 3 meters high, has been preserved. Measures have been taken to protect this historical site. “Asksar” means “broken city” in the Uyghur language. The site is a key cultural heritage protection unit in the region.
Key Details
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Name: Asksar Ancient City Ruins
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Protection Level: National-level
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Location: Southeastern outskirts of Kashgar
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Climate: Subtropical monsoon climate
Archaeological Findings
In the early 20th century, the French explorer Paul Pelliot (伯希和) surveyed the site. His drawings indicated that only the northern and western sections of the city’s earthen walls remained. The northern wall was 287 meters long, and the western wall was 205 meters long, with a base thickness of about 7 meters. The city’s layout was nearly trapezoidal, covering an area of nearly 200 acres.
The ancient city is situated between the Kizil River (克孜勒河) to the south and the Tumeng River (吐曼河) to the east, at the confluence of the two rivers. This elevated area was rich in water resources and provided a good location for building a city or fortress. During the Qing Dynasty’s Xianfeng period, there were still people living in the city when Xu Song (徐松) visited for an inspection.
Historical Evolution
In the mid-10th century, the Karakhanid Dynasty (喀拉汗王朝) introduced Islam to Kashgar (喀什噶尔). Between 996 and 998, the Buddhist state of Khotan (于阗) attacked Kashgar. Led by Buddhist elder Nogut Rebut (诺古特热布特), local Buddhists launched an armed rebellion and took control of the southern part of Kashgar, including the Asksar fortress. The Karakhanid Dynasty launched a counteroffensive, and a battle between the Karakhanid forces and the Buddhist army took place in the Aralf Desert, at the border between today’s Shule County (疏勒县) and Yengisar County (英吉沙县). The Karakhanid Khan was killed in the battle, and the capital was lost. The Buddhist army displayed the Khan’s head on the walls of Asksar as a show of strength.
In 999, the Karakhanid forces launched another attack from the west of the Pamirs, defeating the Khotan army and reclaiming the capital, Kashgar. The Buddhists held out in the Asksar fortress for their final resistance. The Karakhanid forces cut off the water supply from the Kizil and Tumeng rivers, and the defenders were forced to dig wells for water. The Karakhanids also attempted underground tactics by digging tunnels into the city, but the defenders successfully repelled them. After five months of siege, the fortress was finally captured. Elder Nogut Rebut and the Buddhist forces retreated to Khotan. This marked the end of Buddhist influence in Kashgar.
The Asksar Ancient City is a historical testament to the transition between local Buddhism and Islam in Kashgar during this period.
Locally, the city is also known as “Nohot Tursit City” (诺合脱热西特城), a name derived from the Islamicized version of Elder Nogut Rebut’s name. When the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region declared the site a key cultural heritage protection unit in 1957, it was originally dated to the Han Dynasty. However, some experts later identified it as Pan Tuo City (盘橐城), a site where the Eastern Han general Ban Chao (班超) was stationed between 74 and 91 AD. As a result, some historical texts refer to it directly as “Ban Chao City.”
Many unholed copper coins have been unearthed at the site, along with some ancient tombs in the vicinity, which are yet to be excavated and studied further.
