The Xixia Imperial Tombs, an archaeological site in Yinchuan, capital of Northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List at the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee held on July 11.
Located at the foot of the Helan Mountains, the tombs were built by the Tangut, an ethnic group that thrived in northwest China between the 11th and 13th centuries. The necropolis site for high-ranking members of the Western Xia Dynasty (1038-1227) covers 40 square kilometers, and includes nine emperors’ mausoleums and 271 satellite tombs, as well as 32 flood prevention sites.
Experts said the site is the biggest and best preserved remnants of the dynasty, and offers direct testament for the Kingdom of Xia which they believe was a unique civilization that combined Tibetan Buddhist, Tangut and Han Chinese influences.
The listing lifts the number of World Heritage sites in China to 60.
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