Holiday in Ürümqi

About Ürümqi

Uerömqi (Chinese: Wulumuqi) is the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the far northwest of China and the most distant major city from the sea in the world — over 2,500 kilometers from the nearest coast. With around 4 million inhabitants, it is the economic and cultural center of Central Asia on the Chinese side. The city lies at the northern foot of the Tian Shan Mountains (Heavenly Mountains), whose snow-capped peaks rise over 5,000 meters. The Heavenly Lake (Tianchi), a crystal-clear mountain lake at an altitude of 1,910 meters, is one of the most spectacular natural wonders of Xinjiang — framed by spruce forests and glacier peaks, just 110 km east of the city. The Great Bazaar of Uerömqi (Erdaoqiao Market) is one of the largest bazaars in Central Asia: spices, Silk Road crafts, dried fruits, hand-knotted carpets, knives, and Uighur musical instruments are offered in lively halls. The atmosphere is reminiscent of both Istanbul and Samarkand. Uighur culture shapes the cityscape: mosques, minarets, and tea houses stand alongside modern Chinese architecture. Uerömqi has been a hub of the Silk Road for centuries, and the cultural diversity — Uighurs, Han Chinese, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Hui — is still palpable today. The Xinjiang Regional Museum houses the famous Tarim mummies, over 3,000-year-old remarkably well-preserved mummies with European facial features that provide clues about the early migrations along the Silk Road.