Tuyoq, Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu, China
Thursday, October 6, 2011
On the way back from the Kumtagh Desert we had our driver take us down an arid valley to a small traditional Uyghur village called Tuyoq. The village is over 1000 years old and is located near the end of a steep sided gorge with a small river running along the bottom. The scenery around this village is spectacular. In the walls of the gorge are many ancient cave dwellings (that we could not visit), and the village itself is a place of pilgrimage for Muslims around the world. I read somewhere that 7 visits to the mosque in Tuyoq is equivalent to 1 visit to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. We saw only a few people here, but one of them was nice? enough to invite us into his home to take pictures. Of course before we left he requested money, but it was only 5 yuan each. Crafty business men here! The village, like many places in the area is known for its grapes and raisins, of which we sampled a few. A beautiful little village that was a worthy stop on our desert voyage. Take a look.
