The Silk Road did not take a single line across Central Asia, it split around the Taklamakan desert, and along its northern branch, under the snow peaks of the Tian Shan, lay a chain of oasis towns. Kuqa was one of the biggest, the old kingdom of Kucha, a centre of Buddhism, music and dance, and the home of the monk Kumarajiva, who translated Buddhist texts into Chinese. Kizilgaha, a few kilometres from the town, holds one of the beacon towers that the Han and Tang dynasties built to signal across the desert, a squat tower of rammed earth, about the height of a three-storey house, standing on a rise over a dry plain.
The towers worked by smoke and fire. A guard on duty would light a signal, by day with smoke, by night with flame, and the next tower in line would repeat it, sending news of raiders or armies hundreds of kilometres in a short time. Some towers stand alone and others were part of a fortified post, with barracks and storehouses. The ground around is bare, pale and cracked, and the air is dry and hot in summer, but the red mountains of the Kizil cave temples lie nearby, with their painted caves of Buddhas and musicians. Together these sites are part of a World Heritage listing for the Silk Roads.
Riding in this part of Xinjiang is vast and dramatic. The roads are broad and well surfaced, running past cotton fields, poplar lines and open desert, with the Tian Shan on the northern horizon, and the Tarim Basin to the south. Distances are great, and fuel stations are spaced out, so it pays to fill the tank when you can. Heat in July and August is fierce, with sandstorms from the Taklamakan, and winter is bitterly cold. Spring and autumn are the best times. Foreign riders face strict rules in China, with permits, checkpoints and restrictions in Xinjiang, so check the current position before planning.
Kuqa, about nine kilometres away, is a city of some seventy thousand, with fuel, markets, a Sunday bazaar, and restaurants serving lamb kebabs, hand-pulled noodles and the local naan, pita-like bread baked in clay ovens. Sweet apricots and grapes in summer are worth buying from stalls by the road. The old town has a mosque and a few traditional houses. Carry water and sun protection, and dress conservatively. Carry your passport at all times for checkpoints.