Kuqa Palace
库车王府
The residence of the Qing-era princes of Kuqa. Its city walls, palace buildings and the Kucha Historical Exhibition tell the story of two thousand years of Kucha history and the last prince of Kuqa.
Kuqa Palace was first built during the Qianlong era of the Qing dynasty. It was constructed for Osman, the Uyghur chief of Kuqa, who was honored for helping the Qing court suppress the Khoja rebellions. Successive princes of Kuqa lived here as hereditary rulers until the Republican era. Most of the current structures were rebuilt on the original site in 2004. The compound includes the palace gate, a section of the Qing-era Kuqa city wall, the princes' residence, a mosque and the Kucha Historical Exhibition, which displays the ancient Kucha kingdom, cave art and everyday objects of the royal family. The last prince of Kuqa, Dawut Mahsut, lived in the palace for many years and is still remembered locally as “the Prince.” Visit: allow 1–1.5 hours. It can be combined on foot with the nearby Kuqa Old Town and Kuqa Grand Mosque. Admission is about CNY 50–60 (confirm with the site). Getting there: the palace is in the Old Town, under 10 minutes by taxi from the city center.
Opening hours
Approx. 10:00–20:00 Beijing time (shorter in winter)