12 Days Southern Xinjiang & Taklamkan Desert highway adventure

Our nice guide will meet you at the airport and be transferred to the Hotel. 
Visit Xinjiang Museum, Erdaoqiao & International Bazaar

Xinjiang Museum the museum is the main institution to collect and investigate the unearthed cultural relics and specimens in Xinjiang. There are more than 50 thousand pieces of various kinds of cultural relics stored in the museum, among them, the ancient mummies represented by ‘the Loulan Beauty', manuscripts in Chinese, Kharosthi, Qiuci, Yanji, Tibetan, Uigurian and other characters prevailed in ancient Westen Regions, the silk ,wool, cotton and hemp fabrics and folk rainment, etc., are unusual tidbits in the world.
Erdaoqiao Market & International Bazaar The Erdaoqiao Bazaar is the largest in Urumqi. You'll find a bustling market filled with fruit, clothing, crafts, knives, carpets and almost anything that you can imagine. On Sunday, there are more stalls and more goods to buy than any other day. The old streets around the bazaar are really worth seeing.Here is the most welcomed place by tourist especialy by ladies where they can buy some traditional yugur make up cosmetic.

After breakfast head to Turpan Visit, Bezklik Grottoes, Astana Tombs, Sugong Minerat, Local Uyger family in the Vineyard
Bezklik Grottoes,It is located 50 kilometers to the east of Turfan City . “Bezeklik”means “a place with beautiful decoration”. There are 83 numbered caves; among them 40 preserved murals totaling 1200 square meters. These caves are first excavated in Qu`s Gaochang period. The exising caves were reconstructed or newly extended by Uighurian people. In some caves one can find that Buddhish murals are painted on Manichean murals. Themes of the murals are mainly the stories about causes.
Astana Tombs Located over 40 kilometers to the southeast of Turfan City , covering an area of 10 square kilometers, the Astana Tombs are the graveyard of the residents lived in the Gaochang City in the Jin-Tang times, including large sized family graveyard. Between 1959 and 1975,here had been excavated 13 times, a great number of cultural relics have been unearthed, including Chinese documents, textiles, epitaphs, coins, clay sculptures, pottery, wooden wares, silk-paintings, crops and foods ,etc., and total number of them reaches tens thousands. Known as “the Underground Museum.
Sugong Minerat Locatedin Mura Village 2 kilometers to the east of the city of Turfa , theTower was built in the 41st year of the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty,It is an embodiment of the ancient architectural arts of the Uygur nationality. The tower is 37 meters high and 10 meters in diameter at the base. The body of the tower is cylindroid in shape, built with bricks arranged in various symmetrical patterns on the outer wall. The tower has 14 windows and a spiral stairs inside it leading to the top. 
Local Uyger Family with Vineyard Turpan is a kingdom of Grapes, all the local uyger families plant the grapes at the back of their house. Local Uyger family visiting is a special experience for you to know their lifestyle in the fireland.

Visit Jiaohe Ruined city, Karez Irrigation System ,Turpan Minority Souvenir and Carpet Shop and in the afternoon drive to Korler
Jiaohe Ruined The Jiaohe Ruins is located on a mesa in willow leaf shape between the Yarnaz River valleys 10 kilometers to the west of Turfan City. running from northwest to southeast, 1760 meters long and 300 meters across at the widest part. The city includes city gates, streets and lanes, government office, temples, domestic houses, cave houses, wells, and an underground temple.
Karez Irrigation System The Karez System is a unique irrigation system in Turfan, which, taking advantage of the slopes, draws the underground water to flow by itself to irrigate farmland. It consists of four parts: vertical wells, underground channels, ground canals and small reservois.

Drive to Kuqa after breakfast Visit Kuche Mosque, Subashi ruins
Kuqa Mosque It is located in the north of the old city of Kucha and covers an area of 1165 square meters. With a capacity of 3000 people, it is the second largest mosque in Xinjiang, The mosque consists of a main worshiping hall, a small worshiping hall, a minaret, a qubbah, a religious court and hostels, etc. The mosque is a representative of Uygur architectural art of the Qing Dynasty.

Subashi ruins ,The site is located on the ridges on both sides of Kucha River and 23 kilometers tto the north of Kucha City . “Subashi” means “headwater of a river”. It is composed of two parts divided by the river. With a lot of ruins of stupas, temples and grottoes from the Wei and Jin Dynasties to the end of the T`ang Dynasty, the site is the biggest site of Buddhist temples in Xinjiang.

Visit Kizilgaha Beacon Tower, Kizil Grottoes. Kucha Bazaar
Kizilgaha Beacon Toweran ancient military outpost standing high over the bed of the Kuqa River.

Kizil Grottoes the caves were excavated on the cliff of Qul-tagh Mountain by the Muzart River, as the earlist caves in Xinjiang, they care also the earlist ones in China. The contents of these paintings are very rich. Including jataka stories, Budda’s life story and the stories about karma.

Kucha Bazaar There are wonderful, offerings of dried fruit and delicacies, clothes, shoes, leather, textiles, rugs and carpets as well as scarves, souvenirs and other goods in an eclectic mix that appeals to traveler and native alike. Open on Friday, the big day when the farmers come to town, and those who still prefer to shop at the market rather than city shops.

Drive on the Taklamkan Desert Highway
Taklamkan Desert Highway It is the biggest moving desert in the world and most of the people believe that it has buried most of good civilizations among the central Asia. It has occupied land more than 345,000 square km, Taklamakan in local Uyghur language means “Tha desert which buried some places under”, and after some western explorers explore this desert on the early of 20th century, they have given another meaning which is “One go, but never come back”.

Visit Malikwat Ruins, Khotan Museum
Malikwat Ruins Also known as Mallikurwatur Ruins, the ancient city lies 25 km southwest of Hetian, on the west bank of the Jade Dragon Kashgar River. Situated on a 1500 m long belt, it is believed to be the ancient city of Yutian Kingdom although disputes claim it used to be a monastery compound. From 1977, potsherds, ancient coins and other items have been excavated.
Khotan Museum Built at South Tanai Road, Khotan City in 1991, the museum has a floor space for exhibition of about 200 square meters. Besides wooden tablets, the main exhibition “Khotan Historical Relics Exhibition” displays potteries, wooden wares, textiles, sculptures and building components from ancient sites and tombs in Khotan area, totaling over 200 specimens. Among them the Kharosthi and Hotanese tablets, wool fabrics and various sculptures are of distinctive Khotan feature. They mirror the important position and role Khotan occupied and played on the southern Silk Road.

Visit Yarkent Old Town, Yarkent King and Amanishan Tomb.
Yarkent Old Town,It is the best preserved old town in Xinjiang, which is the main shopping center for the locals so that you can enjoy the authentic handicrafts for the local Uygers and know more about their daily life.
Yarkent King and Amanishan Tomb This city forms an oasis at the western end of the Taklimakan desert as a trade center. Mainly inhabited by Turkic-speaking Muslims, it has more than 120 mosques. The Uygurs are excellent at dancing. The "12 Mukams" (opera) is an epic comprising more than 340 classic songs and folk dances. After liberation, this musical treasure, which was on the verge of being lost, was collected, studied and recorded by Amannisha who is the concubine of Yarkant King.She died aged 34.

Visit Yingisha knife factory. Handicraft street , Idgar Mosque.
Handicraft street Streets near this big market are choked on Sundays with farmers and buyers arriving by donkey cart, truck, bicycle, horseback, Ute, motorbike or on foot, with their animals. It's loud, lively and cheerful as they arrive, eat breakfast, set up their animals and check out the action. Cattle, sheep (they definitely look different), goats, donkeys, horses have their own sections; sellers show their animals are "good eaters"(most go as livestock not meat) and the entire experience is fascinating and fun.
Id Kah Mosque It is the large Mosque in China and most famous one in Xinjiang. The Mosque started to build in the mid of fifteenth century, and has gradually developed to the present size. Id K ah Mosque, with about 16800 square meters in area, consisting of Pray Hall, the Koran teaching Hall, The Corridor, the Arches and other buildings attaching to it. The Pray Hall of the mosque can hold 4000 prayers is supported by 140 carved wooden pillars.The buildings of Id Kah Mosque look magnificent and solemn , and display the artistic styles of Islamic mosque architectures.

After breakfast take the drive on the China and Pakistan highway to visit the Karakul Lake and enjoy the Pamir landscape.
Karakul Lake At an altitude of 3,600 m. it is the highest lake of the Pamir plateau, near the junction of the Pamir, Tianshan and Kunlun Mountain ranges. Surrounded by mountains which remain snow-covered throughout the year, the three highest peaks visible from the lake are the Muztag Ata (7546m), Kongur Tagh (7,649m) and Kongur Tiube (7,530 m). The lake is popular among travellers for its beautiful scenery and the clarity of its reflection in the water, whose color ranges from a dark green to azure and light blue. There are two Kirgiz settlements along the shore of Karakul Lake, a small number of yurts about 1km east of the bus drop-off point and a village with stone houses located on the western shores.

Visit Sunday Bazaar, Old Town, Apak Hoja Tomb
Sunday Bazaar (livestock Market)Streets near this big market are choked on Sundays with farmers and buyers arriving by donkey cart, truck, bicycle, horseback, ute, motorbike or on foot, with their animals. It's loud, lively and cheerful as they arrive, eat breakfast, set up their animals and check out the action. Cattle, sheep (they definitely look different), goats, donkeys, horses have their own sections; sellers show their animals are "good eaters"(most go as livestock not meat) and the entire experience is fascinating and fun.
Apak Hoja Tomb This Mazar is the holiest place in Xinjiang and an architectural treasure ． Built in 1640 ， it is reminiscent of the Central Asian artistic style of Samarkand or Isfahan ． A handsome blue-and-white tiled gate leads into the compound, which includes a small religious school and the Abakh Khoja family tomb. The latter is domed and faced with multi - colored tiles. I t most complete Islamic tomb of the Qing Dynasty up-to-now in China.
Old town Kashgar is an ancient city, and in walking the streets of its Old Town, will provide a sense of what this legendary Central Asian hub was like in the days when the Silk Road was at its zenith. 500-year old remnants of the city wall, narrow lanes and colorful multi-ethnic crowds combine to make Kashgar's historic district a highlight of any visit to the city.

You will be transferred to the airport based on your flight time.

Airport transfer to Hotel Xinjiang Museum Erdaoqiao & International Bazaar

Bezklik Grottoes, Astana Tombs, flaming mountain, Sugong Minerat, Local Uyger family in the Vineyard

Jiaohe Ruined city, Karez Irrigation system Turpan Minority Souvenir and Carpet Shop

Kuqa Mosque, Subashi ruins

Kuqa Bazaar, Beacon Tower, Kizil Grottoes

Drive on the Taklamkan desert

Silk-making factory, Malikwat Ruins, Khotan Museum

Old town, Amanishahan tombs

Yingisha knife factory， Handicraft street Idgar Mosque

Karakul Lake

Sunday Bazaar, Apak Hoja Tomb, Old Town

Airport transferred