The Ruins of Princess Fortress

The Princess Fortress lies on a mountain top with the elevation of 4000 meter,70 kms away from Tashkurghan Country proper and at the junction of Khunjerab River and Kashqiukur River.The fortress,morn than 2000 meters in circle,was build on the mountain.The front wall was built with stones and the west wall with clay.The southern and northern parts provide slopes for other people climb up to the top and other parts are facing cliffs that even birds can hardly fly over.To the north of the Princess Fortress stretches a valley--Princess Valley,it was named after the name of the fort.The building inside the Princess Fort had all collapsed,but the east-west direction terraced house ruins are still visible.

The Princess Fortress,a castle with strategic importance,was a transportation fortress for the eastern and western communications in the ancient times.It was also a fortress to control over the old Silk Road.Therefore,the Princess Fortress was build to meet the political,economic and military needs of the time when it was built.

Legends of Princess Fortress:the legends of Princess Fortress are popular among the Tajik People.It says that a Chinese princess was suffering hardship and difficulty on their way to marry Persian King.When she arrived at the side of the Princess Fortress,she was detained due to a war. One day,a handsome young man on horseback came from the sun,an he had an affair with the princess and she was pregnant.The Princess had to stay here.So she build the Princess Fortress for her to stay.Xuan Zang,the famous monk in Tang Dynasty recorded the legend of Princess Fortress in his Great Tang People of the Western Regions.After a primary investigation about the Princess Fortress,archaeologists in Xinjiang found the ruins of houses,scraps of burned branches and pieces of pottery.The branches unearthed were 300 years old after CO14 test,which means the Princess Fortress had been used in the time of the Qing Dynasty.