Hetian Museum

Built in 1995, Hetian Museum has an area of 3400 square meters. It boasts over 9000 pieces of cultural relics; most of which were discovered by archaeologists after 1949 and a small number were donated by the locals. Hetian museum opened in 2005, it is located on West Beijing Road in Hetian, Xinjiang. The main halls are situated on two floors and display the historical relics and items reflecting the present local folk customs respectively.

Hetian, being the largest oasis on the south of Taklamakan Desert, was the territory of many ancient regimes such as the Kingdom of Khotan. Many ancient cities and tomb sites have been discovered in this area and these include the Shanpula tombs, the Niya and Mazhatage Sites and the site of the ancient Yuansha city. Many relics and models of these tomb sites are exhibited in this museum and give people a chance to get close to this place and learn about the culture of western regions in ancient China.

The Hotan Cultural Museum exposition is divided into two parts. On the ground floor, there is a collection of monuments of ancient civilizations, once existed in the territory of Eastern Turkestan. There you can see ceramic ware, jewelry, and household items. In addition, the museum features fragments of ancient tombs and sarcophagi, which are several thousand years old. One of the most valuable exhibits is considered two mummies of a girl and a man who are more than 1500 years old.

The museum’s first floor holds a collection, unofficially called the Uighur one. It opens an amazing and colorful world of Uighur culture to the museum visitors. There you can see ancient clothing and jewelry created by the hands of the ancient masters, as well as various Uighur artware. On the second floor, Hetian Uygur folk culture is illustrated by exhibits of local jade and carpets, the local silk, Uygur dresses, folk art and handicrafts, as well as Uygur medicine and food culture. Among the prized relics in this hall are a carpet into which a map of China is woven and a large copper pot.

The collections in the Hetian Museum provide a vivid picture of the splendid culture of ancient Hetian area in the fields of manual textile technology, art pottery, painting art and the Buddhist culture.

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