Great Wall

One of the gates to the great fortress of Jiayuguan. Inside, the path turns several right-angle corners (to slow down invading horses) and has gates that could be lowered to trap invaders.

A view of the inner buildings of the fortress.

One of the reasons the wall is so well-preserved is that the clay was dug out of a riverbed (fewer weed seeds), steamed, then dried in the sun to kill weed seeds. Finally it was washed in a salt and alkaline solution to further discourage weeds.

A view along a restored section of the Wall. I climbed up less than a kilometer of the wall, but my calves were sore for days afterwards! I can't imagine hauling heavy loads of clay up the mountain to build the wall.

Me at the wall.

The travelingtiger at the Wall.

Scenery from the top of the Wall. It's a beautiful, beautiful area.

Another view from the top of the Wall. (Photo courtesy Mike Magin.)