Jiayuguan Pass

A railroad line and bus route both go to the Jiayuguan Pass, situated 25km/15.5mi west of Jiuquan. It has air connections with Dunhuang and Ürümqi. The pass is dominated by a fortress dating from 1372 which occupies an area of 33,500sq.m/8.25acres and marks the western end of the Great Wall. It is surrounded by two walls, a low exterior one and an inner one, 12m/39ft high. The latter is enclosed by a ring of battlements and has two 17m/56ft high three-storied towers, dating from 1506, in the east and west.

The plans of the fortress are supposed to have been so exact that at the end of its construction only one building stone was left over. The stone in question has been preserved right up to the present day.