A group of small hills near the oasis are the site of the famous Wind Devil Castle. There are many tales about this place. According to the local people, once there was a magnificent castle surrounded by clear water, green fields, and households. Then one year, a sandstorm suddenly hit the place, lasting for more than dozen days and destroying the castle and the fields, leaving only dunes of all sizes. Even now, people can still hear howling wind at night.

Years ago a team of explorers got lost in the Wind Devil Castle in a gusting sandstorm after finishing their work in the dark. Some of them would have died if not for the rescue team that found them.

Another time a photographer waited here till dusk to take a picture of the brilliant sunset at the Wind Devil Castle. Suddenly the beautiful sunset glow turned into terrible dark clouds and the blustering mountains nearly frightened the photographer to death. Even today, years later, when talking about this experience, the photograph  still can feel the scariness of that day. All these stories add to the enigmatic charm of the Wind Devil Castle.

Research has proved the existence of a wind tunnel here. Therefore, when the wind blows, it blasts through the mountains and makes a strange sound like the roaring of a demon. Hence the name: Wind Devil Castle.

The Wind Devil Castle is composed of two parts: the "big castle" and the "small castle", covering a total area of some 60 square kilometers and hitting an altitude of more than 500 meters. The whole "castle" area is brown, with red earth at the surface but rocks inside. It is said that the Wind Devil Castle is a mass formed by sedimentary rocks of different and peculiar shapes, some of which are scores of meters high and some of which rise about 100 meters from the ground.

The natural erosion also contributes to the various shapes of the mountain rocks. There are what looks like magnificent palaces from ancient times and domed Roman temple s. Some rocks point to the sky like a sword while others appear to be wearing a hat with giant stones on top. The continuous and cascading mountains look like skyscrapers in a metropolitan city. Walking amidst the golden "castle" under the setting sun, people may feel as if they have walked into a mythical world where characters from fairytales -- the Monkey King, for instance -- could appear at any time.

In the area, there is neither water nor any living creatures. In the sunlight the scene is glorious, while in the dark it looks almost deadly. Every spring and autumn, the wind blows as the weather changes. The dust and stones flying in the sandstorm and its dreadful howls sound like thousands of beasts tearing open the earth. Long ago the Mongols called the place Sulumuhake and the Kazakhs called it Shayitankexier, both meaning "Ghost Mountains."

Author: Lin Yunfan and Xie Liang

All rights reserved. Reproduction of text for non-commercial purposes is permitted provided that both the source and author are acknowledged and a notifying email is sent to us.