Kuqa, Xinjiang

The archaeological excavation of Neolithic cultural sites, such as the Haradun site [zh] (Chinese: 龟兹故城), indicates that ancient human activity occurred in the area of present-day city as early as 12,000 years ago.^[7][8]

According to the Book of Han (completed in 111 CE), Kucha was the largest of the "Thirty-Six Kingdoms of the Western Regions", with a population of 81,317, including 21,076 persons able to bear arms.^[9]: 156

In 630, Xuanzang, a well-known Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller and translator, visited Kucha during the early Tang dynasty.^[10]

In the book Hudud al-'Alam, written in 982 by an unknown Arab or Persian writer and presented to Abu'l Haret Muhammad of Guzgan (present-day northern Afghanistan), the following is written regarding Kucha:

"Kucha is located on the Chinese border and belongs to China, but the indigenous people, Dokuzoguzes, at times are engaged in raids and looting. This city has many advantages."

Mirza Muhammad Haidar Dughlat, a military general, in his book Tarikh-i-Rashidi used the name Kūsān for Kucha.

Mahmud Kashgari, in his Compendium of Turkic Languages (Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk), wrote the following about Kucha: "It is one of the cities built by Zülqarnayin" (Alexander the Great).^[11] He also wrote that Kucha was a Uyghur town.^[12]

In 1758, the Qing dynasty took control of the area, and the Chinese transliteration Kuche (庫車) was made the name of the area.^[13] Kucha was made a county in 1913,^[14] within the fourth district^[specify] of Xinjiang Province.^[15][16] In 1930, Xinjiang was partitioned into 12 districts to establish Tokesu County.^{[clarification needed][17]}

On 20 December 2019, Kuqa County was disestablished and Kuqa City was created in its place.^[18]

Kuqa has 4 subdistricts, 8 towns, 6 townships, and 1 other area^[specify] under its administration:^{[23][24][1][25]}

Agricultural products include wheat, corn, rice, cotton as well as pears, apricots, melons, grapes, pomegranates, and figs. Specialty products include Sanbei sheep (三北羊) lambskin, white apricots, and thin-shelled walnuts. Mineral resources include oil and coal. Industries include coal mining, tractor manufacturing and repair, construction and processing for non-staple foods.^[30]

In 1885, there was about 99,200 acres (654,476 mu) of cultivated land in what is now Kuqa City.^[31]

Uyghurs constitute a supermajority of Kuqa's population, while the Han Chinese form a significant minority. In 1999, 89.93% of the population of Kuqa County was Uyghur and 9.49% was Han Chinese.^[32] The ethnic composition was almost the same in 2015, with 440,125 of the 492,535 residents (89.3%) of Kuqa being Uyghur, 49,021 (9.9%) Han Chinese, and 3,389 from other ethnic groups.^[33]

Kuqa is served by China National Highway 217, China National Highway 314,^[30] the Southern Xinjiang Railway and Kuqa Qiuci Airport.

Kuqa is also the name of the central town (Chinese: 库车镇), located in the easternmost area of Kuqa City. It is the second largest town of Aksu Prefecture. It has an area of 14,528.74 square meters and a population of 470,600 people, composed of fourteen ethnic groups, including Uyghurs, Han, Hui, and Mongols. Kuqa is a thriving town of oil and natural gas development in the Tarim Basin, as well as tourism, as it was once the site of the ancient Buddhist kingdom of Kucha.^{[citation needed]} Tourist attractions include the Kumtura Caves, Subashi Temple Ruins, and Kizilgaha Caves.

• Qurban Mamut, former editor-in-chief of the official Xinjiang Cultural Journal (《新疆文化》) and detainee in the Xinjiang internment camps^[34][35]