Ürümqi

No reviews yetCity Xinjiang, China

Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar, Ürümqi, Xinjiang, China

Hongshan Park Urumqi, Ürümqi, Xinjiang, China

About Ürümqi

No city on Earth lies farther from the sea: Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang, sits about 2,500 kilometers from the nearest coast, in a basin beneath the snowy Tianshan range. Its name comes from a Mongolian phrase for a beautiful pasture, and for centuries the area was a stop for Silk Road caravans moving between China and Central Asia. Known as Dihua under the Qing, it took back the name Urumqi in 1954.

Today the city of about four million is the commercial hub of China's far northwest, with a skyline of high-rises, a red sandstone hill crowned by a Qing pagoda, and bazaars piled with raisins, apricots, carpets and knives. Uyghur, Kazakh, Hui and Han traditions meet in its mosques, markets and food, from hand-pulled noodles to polo rice and lamb skewers.

The real draw lies just outside town, where the Southern Pastures and the glaciers of the Tianshan rise within a couple of hours. Summer is the best time to visit, with green grasslands and long evenings at the night markets.

Best seasonJune to September, when the mountain pastures are green; winters are long and very cold.

Ideal stayTwo to three days: one for the museum and bazaar, one or two for the mountains.

ArrivingUrumqi Tianshan International Airport is the main air hub of Xinjiang; high-speed trains connect the city with Lanzhou and the rest of China.

8 Reasons to Visit Ürümqi

Museums 1

Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum

The region's main museum is the best introduction to Xinjiang's long Silk Road history, with galleries on its many ethnic cultures...

Markets 1

Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar

In the Uyghur quarter around Erdaoqiao, this large market complex of Islamic-style buildings and a tall tower sells dried fruit an...

Viewpoints 1

Hongshan Park Urumqi

Named for its red sandstone, this hill rising from the middle of the city is Urumqi's best-known symbol, topped by a small Qing dy...

Nature 2

Southern Pastures Urumqi

About 60 to 70 kilometers south of the city, the green valleys of the Tianshan foothills are summer grazing land for Kazakh herder...

Tianshan Glacier No. 1

High in the Tianshan at the head of the Urumqi River, this is one of the most closely studied glaciers in China and among the larg...

Mosques 1

Shaanxi Grand Mosque Urumqi

Built by Hui Muslims in the Qing dynasty and expanded in 1906, this mosque looks more like a Chinese temple than a Central Asian o...

Food and Drink 2

Xinjiang Polo

The festive rice dish of Xinjiang, polo is cooked slowly in a big iron pot with chunks of lamb, yellow and orange carrots, onions...

Xinjiang Dapanji

Dapanji, or big plate chicken, is a hearty Xinjiang favorite: chicken stewed with potatoes, peppers, dried chilies and spices, ser...

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Photo credits

Photo: Albertaont, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photo: 罗布泊, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Photo: HaziiDozen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Pravit, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain