Heiyou Mountain
黑油山
The hill that gave Karamay its name, a natural asphalt mound where crude oil still bubbles from springs at its base, a rare surface oil seep.
“Karamay” means “black oil” in Uyghur, and the city takes its name from Heiyou Mountain, northeast of the urban core. It is not truly a mountain but an asphalt mound, formed as crude oil seeped out along fault lines over a long time, then weathered and hardened. Standing more than ten meters tall, its surface is black, glossy and hard. Oil springs at its base still bubble up, especially on hot summer days, making it a rare surface oil seep in China. In 1955, a survey team discovered the Karamay oilfield based on the seeps here. A statue stands beside the mountain honoring Sailimu, the Uyghur elder who first reported Heiyou Mountain to the team.
Today it is Heiyou Mountain Park, with trails leading to the summit for views of the city and the Gobi. Allow about 40 minutes to an hour. Entry is free, and the park is open all day. Getting there: a taxi from the city takes about 10 minutes. It can be combined with the Karamay Museum and the first generation oilmen’s Dijiaozi (cellar dwellings), about 1 km to the south. Be careful around the oil springs, where the ground is oily; don’t step on or touch the oil. Summer sun is intense.
Opening hours
All day