Jiayuguan Fort

Jiayuguan Fort is the best-preserved fortress on the entire Great Wall of China, built in 1372 at the narrowest point of the Hexi Corridor between the Qilian Mountains and the Black Mountain of the Gobi Desert. Serving as the western terminus of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall, Jiayuguan was both a formidable military barrier and a gateway between the Chinese world and the Central Asian frontier beyond — the last outpost of Chinese civilisation before the desolate wastes of the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts. Exiles, merchants, diplomats, and armies passed through its triple-arched gate over five centuries. The fort complex covers 33,500 square metres and includes an inner city, outer city, and a surrounding moat, with towers rising 10.7 metres above the rammed earth walls. Restored to near-original condition, the complex is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The combination of desert landscape, snow-capped mountains, and ancient walls is extraordinarily photogenic, especially at sunset.