World Heritage Identification Number: 1736
World Heritage since: 2025
Category: Cultural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇨🇳 China
Continent: Asia
UNESCO World Region: Asia and the Pacific
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Xixia Imperial Tombs: A Legacy of Multicultural Civilization Along the Silk Road
The Xixia Imperial Tombs, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2025, offer a unique glimpse into the rich history and cultural diversity of the Xixia Dynasty. Situated in the foothills of the southern Helan Mountains in Ningxia, these tombs serve as the imperial cemetery of the Xixia Dynasty, founded by the Tanguts in 1038 and lasting until its destruction by Genghis Khan’s Mongol army in 1227.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
Located in the foothills of the southern Helan Mountains in Ningxia, this necropolis is the imperial cemetery of the Xixia Dynasty. It includes nine imperial mausoleums, 271 subordinate tombs, a northern architectural complex, and 32 flood control structures. Founded by the Tanguts in 1038, the Xixia Dynasty lasted until its destruction by Genghis Khan’s Mongol army in 1227. Positioned along the Silk Road, it became a multicultural civilization modelled on Chinese imperial traditions, with Buddhism at its core. The property reflects the dynasty’s religious and socio-political legacy.
Encyclopedia Record: Western Xia mausoleums
The Western Xia mausoleums occupy an area of some 50 km2 (19 sq mi) at the foot of the Helan Mountains in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of northwestern China, and include nine imperial mausoleums and 250 tombs of imperial relatives and officials of China's Western Xia dynasty. This burial complex lies some 40 km (25 mi) westward from capital city of the Western Xia, the Xingqing fu or Xingqing, what is modern-day Yinchuan, capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.Additional Site Details
Area: 3,899 hectares
(iii) — Unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition
Coordinates: 38.4158333333 , 105.9711111111
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© BabelStone, CC BY-SA 3.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
