City - Near Dunhuang State - GANSU Country - China
About
This is a section of the Great Wall that few tourists will ever see.
During the West Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu (a name given to the various nomadic tribes in the north) posed a great threat to the Han. To keep the Xiongnu outside, and to ensure a peaceful environment for its people and protect the smooth trade with kingdoms in Central and West Asia, Han emperors ordered construction of the wall.
The Wall of the Han Dynasty started from the terminus of the Qin Wall in Linzhao, stretching across the Hexi Corrior via, Zhangye, Jiayuguan, Yumen and Anxi, etc to the West Lake in Dunhuang. Traces of the Han Wall still exist in the areas of Jiayuguan, Yumen, Dunhuang. The wall ruin in Dunhuang is over 150 kilometers long. What remains of the Han Wall was made of earth with reed.
Finally, this section of the Great Wall was built between 220-206 BC and precedes the more famous Ming Dynasty Great Wall by more than 1,000 years.
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{K:78768} 9/1/2008