Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine October 2019 | Page 73

Travel / Xi’an
1. Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s
Mausoleum Site Museum,
home to the Terracotta Army.
2. The narrow, paved streets by
the Great Mosque of Xi’an – the
largest mosque in China.
3. A woman poses by the
ancient city wall.
the oldest part of Xi’an. One of Asia’s best-
preserved ancient city walls, it was built more
than 600 years ago under the Ming dynasty to
protect Xi’an from invaders. Walking along the
top of the wall is a classic tourist activity. As
I stand atop this fortification, I turn my back
on the walled city and look out towards the
green hills to the east, where, some 30km
away, lies one of the world’s most significant
archaeological excavations, the Terracotta Army.
In the 1970s archaeologists dug up almost 9,000
terracotta soldiers, horses, and chariots, which
for about 2,200 years have stood guard over the
tomb of China’s first Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
I walk around the three pits filled with these
intricately carved figures, marvelling at the level
of craftsmanship and considering just how
remarkably old Xi’an is. It was almost a
millennium after the creation of this tomb that
Islam arrived in Xi’an. Now, 1,300 years after
the first Muslims settled in this city, it has
one of the biggest and most fascinating
Islamic communities in all of China.
 ne of Asia's best preserved ancient city
O
walls, it is the oldest part of Xi'an, built more
than 600 years ago under the Ming dynasty
to protect Xi’an from invaders.
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