![XiXia Tombs 1 and 2 B](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/XiXia_Tombs_1_and_2_B.jpg)
The Western Xia mausoleums occupy an area of some at the foot of the
Helan Mountains
The Helan Mountains, frequently called Alashan Mountains in older sources, are an isolated desert mountain range forming the border of Inner Mongolia's Alxa League and Ningxia. They run north-south parallel to the north-flowing Yellow River in ...
in the
Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region
Ningxia (,; , ; alternately romanized as Ninghsia), officially the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (NHAR), is an autonomous region in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. Formerly a province, Ningxia was incorporated into Gansu in 1 ...
of northwestern China, and include nine imperial
mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...
s and 250 tombs of imperial relatives and officials of China's
Western Xia dynasty
The Western Xia or the Xi Xia (), officially the Great Xia (), also known as the Tangut Empire, and known as ''Mi-nyak''Stein (1972), pp. 70–71. to the Tanguts and Tibetans, was a Tangut-led Buddhist imperial dynasty of China tha ...
. This burial complex lies some westward from capital city of the Western Xia, the Xingqing fu or Xingqing, what is modern-day
Yinchuan
Yinchuan (, ; ) is the capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China, and was the capital of the Tangut-led Western Xia dynasty. It has an area of and a total population of 2,859,074 according to the 2020 Chinese census, and its built- ...
, capital of the
Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region
Ningxia (,; , ; alternately romanized as Ninghsia), officially the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (NHAR), is an autonomous region in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. Formerly a province, Ningxia was incorporated into Gansu in 1 ...
.
Some have so far been excavated, and efforts are underway to secure and preserve the remains of this poorly understood era.
History
The
Western Xia
The Western Xia or the Xi Xia (), officially the Great Xia (), also known as the Tangut Empire, and known as ''Mi-nyak''Stein (1972), pp. 70–71. to the Tanguts and Tibetans, was a Tangut-led Buddhist imperial dynasty of China tha ...
dynasty, existed between 1038 and 1227, when it was conquered by the Mongols under
Genghis Khan
''Chinggis Khaan'' ͡ʃʰiŋɡɪs xaːŋbr />Mongol script: ''Chinggis Qa(gh)an/ Chinggis Khagan''
, birth_name = Temüjin
, successor = Tolui (as regent)Ögedei Khan
, spouse =
, issue =
, house = Borjigin
, ...
. The empire was founded by the
Tangut ethnic group, about which little is currently known. Of current excavations, only the No.3 mausoleum has been adequately excavated and researched. This mausoleum is attributed to Western Xia's first emperor
Jingzong, born Li Yuanhao, (1003-1048), has been determined as a pavilion-tower construction fusing both traditional mausoleum and temple styles with
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
characteristics.
The Western Xia capital city and the burial complex eluded early 20th century explorers of
Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...
, including
Pyotr Kozlov
Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov (russian: Пётр Кузьми́ч Козло́в; 3 October 1863 in Dukhovshchina – 26 September 1935 in Peterhof) was a Russian and Soviet traveller and explorer who continued the studies of Nikolai Przhevalsky in ...
,
Aurel Stein
Sir Marc Aurel Stein,
( hu, Stein Márk Aurél; 26 November 1862 – 26 October 1943) was a Hungarian-born British archaeologist, primarily known for his explorations and archaeological discoveries in Central Asia. He was also a professor at ...
and
Sven Hedin
Sven Anders Hedin, KNO1kl RVO,Wennerholm, Eric (1978) ''Sven Hedin – En biografi'', Bonniers, Stockholm (19 February 1865 – 26 November 1952) was a Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator ...
. During modern times, it was first reported by
Wulf-Dieter Graf zu Castell, who recorded the site in an aerial photograph, published in 1938 in his book ''Chinaflug''.
Imperial mausoleums
![Reconstruction of Western Xia Mausoleum 3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Reconstruction_of_Western_Xia_Mausoleum_3.jpg)
The area occupied by the Western Xia tombs runs from south-west to north-east along the eastern edge of the Helan Mountains, and is about 12 km in length, and up to 2.5 km in width. The nine imperial mausoleums are arrayed from south to north over a distance of about 10 km, with the earliest emperors buried at the south, and the later emperors buried towards the north.
Each mausoleum has a similar layout (see plan of Mausoleum 2 below), in general comprising a rectangular outer enclosing wall (''waicheng'' 外城), with a pair of gate towers (''quetai'' 鵲臺) at the south end, then one or more pavilions (usually a pair) housing memorial steles (''beiting'' 碑亭), then a rectangular barbican (''yuecheng'' 月城) in front of the entrance to a square or rectangular inner enclosure (''lingcheng'' 陵城), with watch towers (''jiaoque'' 角闕) at the four corners. The solid tomb mound built over the site of the burial is constructed from
rammed earth
Rammed earth is a technique for constructing foundations, floors, and walls using compacted natural raw materials such as earth, chalk, lime, or gravel. It is an ancient method that has been revived recently as a sustainable building method.
...
. It is positioned off-centre, in the north-west part of the inner enclosure, and is up to 30 metres across and 23 metres in height. There are holes in the tomb mounds that would have originally supported woooden beams, and as very large numbers of tiles have been found in each mausoleum, it is believed that the surviving mounds are the cores for a more substantial architectural monument, coated with bricks and with tiled eaves and decorative sculptures at each level.
![西夏王陵2号陵](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/%E8%A5%BF%E5%A4%8F%E7%8E%8B%E9%99%B52%E5%8F%B7%E9%99%B5.svg)
Mausoleums 1 and 2 are situated close together at the southern tip of the tomb complex, and are the two largest tombs, with their outer enclosure both measuring 340 × 224 metres. These two are believed to be occupied by the grandfather (
Li Jiqian
Li Jiqian () (963–1004), occasionally also known by his Song-bestowed name of Zhao Baoji (趙保吉), was a Tangut leader and progenitor of China's Western Xia dynasty. He resisted the Song dynasty and organized a rebellion in 984. He also crea ...
) and father (
Li Deming
Li Deming () (981–1032) was the eldest son of Li Jiqian and the father of Li Yuanhao, the founder of China's Western Xia dynasty. When his father died in battle in 1004, Li Deming became leader of the Tangut people, and over the next twenty ye ...
) of Li Yuanhao, the first Emperor of the Western Xia.
![XiXia Tomb 3 two stele bases (east)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/XiXia_Tomb_3_two_stele_bases_%28east%29.jpg)
Mausoleums 3 and 4 are about 4 km further north, with Mausoleum 3 at the eastern edge of the tomb area, and Mausoleum 4 situated about 2 km to the west, close to the side of the mountains. It is believed that Mausoleum 3 is occupied by
Emperor Jingzong (1st emperor, reigned 1038–1048) and Mausoleum 4 is occupied by
Emperor Yizong (2nd emperor, reigned 1048–1068).
About 2 km further north are Mausoleums 5 and 6, which are believed to be occupied by Emperors
Huizong Huizong are different temple names used for emperors of China. It may refer to:
* Wang Yanjun (died 935, reigned 928–935), emperor of the Min dynasty
* Emperor Huizong of Western Xia (1060–1086, reigned 1067–1086), emperor of Western Xia
* E ...
(3rd emperor, reigned 1068–1086) and
Chongzong (4th emperor, reigned 1086–1139) respectively.
About 3 km further north are a group of three mausoleums for Emperors
Renzong (5th emperor, reigned 1139–1193),
Huanzong (6th emperor, reigned 1193–1206), and
Xiangzong (7th emperor, reigned 1206–1211).
This area was developed for industrial use during the 1970s, and part of Mausoleum 7 and most of Mausoleums 8 and 9 were built over, although the tomb mounds still survive. The buildings from the 1970s have now all been demolished.
There are no mausoleums for the last three Western Xia emperors,
Shenzong (8th emperor, reigned 1211–1223),
Xianzong (9th emperor, reigned 1223–1226), and
Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from V ...
(last emperor, reigned 1226–1227), probably because the Western Xia empire was destroyed by the Mongols before there was time to build their tombs.
However, it has been suggested that Tomb 161, which is the largest other tomb in the tomb complex (165 metres long and 100 metres wide) is the joint imperial tomb for Emperors Shenzong and Xianzong.
This tomb is situated about 200 metres south-west of Mausoleum 6 (for Emperor Chongzong), and although it is large compared with the other ordinary tombs, it is still smaller than the imperial mausoleums, and does not share the same complex layout as the imperial mausoleums. If Shenzong and Xianzong are buried in Tomb 161, then it would be the only mausoleum that does not follow the south-to-north order.
Footnotes
{{coord, 38, 26, 06, N, 105, 59, 14, E, region:CN-64_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title
Western Xia architecture
Mausoleums in China
National archaeological parks of China
Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Ningxia
Yinchuan