Rawak Buddhist Temple

Rawak Buddhist Temple Located in desert about 60 kilometers to the northwest of Lop County seat. The name "Rawak" means "a mansion". In center of the temple stands a Stupa, surrounded on four sides by a Stupa court. The Stupa is built with sun-dried bricks. The base of it is in the shape of a cross, rising to a height of about 5.3 meters, on which rests a cylinder about 3.6 meters high and about 9.6 meters in diameter. The court measures 50 meters long and 45 meters wide. Its walls are still rise to a height of about 3.6 meters. Outside the court was found some ruins of shrines. On inner and outer wails of the court are decorated with frescoes and relief sculptures, such as statues of Buddha and Bodhisattva. There are potsherds, coins, and so on, scattering on the ground inside and outside the court. The site dates approximately from the middle of the 4th century A.D. to that of the 10th century A.D. Now it is listed as a major cultural site protected by the Autonomous Region.