Blizzardboy | A Kiwi in Australia

Kucha used to be one of the most important oasis towns along the silk road and today is an interesting stop-over for those travelling through Xinjiang. Located halfway between Turfan and Kashgar, Kucha has a population of 64,000 and offers access to the Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves and a number of ruined cities, including Subashi. Kuche used to be the largest of the 36 kingdoms in what was known at that time to the Chinese as the Western Regions.

From around the 4th century A.D. until the rise of Islam in Xinjiang in the 9th century Kucha was a major center of Buddhist studies where (according to the Lonely Planet)

“Kumarajiva (AD 344?-413), the first great translator of Buddhist sutras from Sanskrit into Chinese, was born to an Indian father and a Kuqean princess.

The spread of Buddhism in the Kucha region has left a large number of caves painted with buddhist murals which make Kuche well worth visiting.

With a history dating back thousands of years, Kucha is now a relatively poor and dirty place; especially in winter when we visited. The local Uighyr people remain in the majority and the area is well known for Uighyr dancing and singing although we were unable to see any whilst we were there. They were though very friendly.

I feel like I should write more about Kuqa, but I have to get to my Uighyr lesson. Anyway, The Opposite End of China also has some images from Kuqa up here.