The Ruins of Western Xia’s Imperial Tombs

About 30 kilometers to the west of the modern city of Yinchuan, lies the enormous burial complex of the Western Xia dynasty. Spread over 40 square kilometers on the eastern slope of the Helan mountain range, these tombs are proudly called "the Pyramids of China” by the locals. As anybody can see, these tombs look nothing like the majestic stone pyramids of Africa. Instead, the Western Xia Tombs are earth and brick structures having the appearance of a giant pile of mud and dirt. But in the heydays, they must have been truly something to behold. Photo credit: BabelStone/Wikimedia The Western Xia dynasty existed between the 11th and the 13th centuries, before it was annihilated in an act of vengeance by the fearful Mongol ruler Genghis Khan. In 1219, Genghis Khan had asked the then emperor of Western Xia, Asha, for military aid against his planned invasion of Khwarezmia and Eastern Iran. But Asha refused stating that if Genghis needed aid from others, then he had no claim to supreme power. Genghis Khan was so infuriated by Asha’s arrogance that he swore to wipe Western Xia from the face of the earth. And he did. Genghis Khan first invaded Khwarezmia and successfully defeated it. He then turned his attention towards Western Xia. The Mongol army pushed through the enemy’s defenses systematically destroying Western Xia cites and slaughtering their population. By the time the empire’s capital city Yinchuan fell, the annihilation was near total. Every written record was destroyed, and much of the empire’s architecture and cultural artifacts. So complete was the eradication that until the 20th century, nobody knew who founded Western Xia. Still very little is known about the Tangut ethnic group who founded the empire. The fact that these tombs survive is a miracle in itself. Mongol conquest of Western Xia and other regimes of China Each of the mausoleum occupies an area of more than 100,000 square meters , surrounded by inner and outer walls.