Imperial Tombs of the Western Xia

The eight imperial mausoleums and more than 70 other tombs from the Western Xia dynasty (1032-1227) are scattered over grounds covering 40sq.km/15.5sq.mi, about 30km/19mi west of Yinchuan.

Each mausoleum is more than 10ha/25acres in area and comprises external and internal walls, four corner towers, a pavilion, a memorial hall, an altar and an underground burial chamber of compressed soil. One of the imperial tombs was opened up by archaeologists in the 1970s.