Hun Capital Rises from the Sands of Time

Tongwan City, extending to nearly 20,000 square kilometers, has lain buried beneath the desert sands for more than 1,000 years. The city was laid out on an east-west axis and consisted of an outer city, an inner city, and a palace city.

The outer city was where ordinary folks lived. Government offices and the residences of the nobility were located in the inner city. Inside the palace city was the inner sanctuary of the imperial city where Helianbobo himself lived.

Historical records suggest that by the year 431, Tongwan City and its hinterland supported a population of over 40,000 Hun nomads and Han farmers. By 984 however, the city had been abandoned, and would later become buried under the shifting sands.

"Tongwan City was built on the natural contours of the ground and so is higher in the northwest and lower in the southeast. This served to provide a measure of protection against the cold winter winds. Meanwhile, the river in the north of the city could easily be channeled to supply water to the residents or used for the city moat," said Dai Yingxin, a famous archaeologist who has been engaged in field investigation and trial digs at the site for years.

"The city wall was constructed in layers by ramming a mix of cohesive white clay and sand bound together with glutinous rice gruel and slaked lime. The western section is 16 to 30 meters thick. This type of rammed earth construction has proven to be almost as strong and resistant to erosion as stone masonry," Dai said.

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