The Kuqa(or Kucha)Gorge is located in the Southern part of the
Tianshan Mountains, about 64 kilometers north of Kuqa County in
Xinjiang. The Kuqa River is a tributary of the Tarim River'and
local Uygur people call its valley "Kizilia" which means "red
cliffs. "A typical earth-rift ravine, the gorge extends more
than five kilometers in total, with a main valley and seven
branch valleys. It is 1,600 meters above sea level on average
and its highest peak reaches 2,048 meters; it is between 150-200
meters deep and at its narrowest point is only 1.2 meters wide.
The whole gorge is made up of red sandstone and conglomerate of
the Paleogene Period. With the upthrust of the Tianshan
Mountains, these red rock strata were subjected to all kinds of
folding and bending, added to which water and wind erosion,
created the gorge's grotesque, jagged peaks and rocks. Although
located in an arid continental area, there are clear gurgling
springs in the gorge. At sunrise, sunset as the wind gets up, as
mists rise or sounds echo