This is the last day in Zhangye and a pretty long day ahead. After 3 hour bus ride we arrived at Jiayuguan Pass. This is a key point of trade for the silk road as well as a protection point as it is linked to the western most part of the Great Wall.
Jiayu Pass or Jiayuguan is the first frontier fortress at the west end of the Ming dynasty Great Wall, near the city of Jiayuguan in Gansu province. Along with Juyong Pass and Shanhai Pass, it is one of the main passes of the Great Wall.
https://g.co/kgs/9af9cx
Jiayuguan Pass
This area is called the Hexi corridor and is only 15 km between the mountains on each side. The mountains themselves provided some protection and only a small wall was needed there as invaders could be seen from the fortress towers. Also, in this remote area, it was difficult to get and move materials.
We walked from what would be the city at the time to the fortress that housed the civil and military leaders and also had towers to watch for invaders, particularly those coming from the West. Soldiers and munitions would be found here.
Temple of literature
Outer city wall
Here merchants could walk along as they could not enter the fortress.
Warrior temple and God of wealth
Amusement temple
This is meant as a stage for entertainment.
The outer wall
The outer wall leads into a confined area in order to contain invaders as there is another gate they would have to get through. They would be ambushed by soldiers above. You can walk along the inner courtyard wall as well as these outer gate walls. Every corner has a watchtower.
The Light gate
This heads to the inner courtyard where generals, troops, munitions, and horses were held.
Cannons
Cannons were invented in China in the 12th century. The idea was taken by the Mongols who then passed it on to the Turks who then passed the new weapon on to the British….
Generals residence
This is the outer building wall of the residence courtyard which had a meeting house, residence house, and kitchen.
Residence area
This is where officials lived when you enter the separate compound door.
Opposite Gate leading to the west
Getting to the top wall
To get to the top there are a series of stairs next to a ramp. The ramp was used for horses, most likely to move heavy materials to the top of the wall.
View from the top looking at the inner residence courtyard
View from the top looking at the inner courtyard
Shorter outer wall for merchants. No need to enter the garrison in order to move materials.
Great wall not so great here. Hard to move stone on mountain and this area is so dry that the wall can be made from dirt mixed with straw. The more impressive wall is about a half hour away and the other sections closer to Beijing.
Resting brick above door
The western outer wall is thicker and more fortified because it faces west where enemies were known to attack from. There has been some sort of wall here for thousands of years because of enemies. However, the silk road was known as a way to promote trade from the West. Marco Polo used this trade route and brought back noodles from this region (excavations have found evidence of noodles here 2000 years ago). Wheat was brought from the West as well as Buddhism, which predates Christianity by thousands of years.
The end of the Great Wall
A short ride away is found a section of the Great Wall that butts up against the mountains. This is the western most section of the Great Wall that ends at the Jiayuguan Pass.
I made it to the top, snapped pictures from the tower, made an informative video and a silly one as well before going down the other side to get a view there from a path.
The below is not a good video as not pre-planned. Three teachers were singing Pink Floyd’s The Wall on the Great Wall.
It is crazy to be on a highway where there is not much traffic in the desert but still have enough connection to create this blog post!