Xinjiang's Rawak Temple ruins offer window into Silk Road Buddhist heritage

Deep in the expansive desert landscape of Luopu county, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, sits the Rawak Temple ruins among sand dunes dotted with scattered, low shrubs.

Built around the 2nd to 3rd centuries, the relatively well-preserved ruins remained in use until the Tang Dynasty (618-907), later becoming a cultural relic on the southern routes of the ancient Silk Road. The site is one of more than 20 Buddhist temple ruins discovered in Hotan prefecture.

According to Xatnur Sadik, director of Luopu's county museum, "Rawak" means pavilions, terraces, and tall mansions in the Uygur language.