Jiaohe Jiaohe aka Gaochang is an ancient, now abandoned, city. It was built on the banks of a river. By creating a canal the city was made into an Island in the river. This was done for defense. The current climate is arid, hot and harsh. The people who inhabited the city must have been hardy types, used to heavy manual labour and ready to defend their city. Fortifications are seen in the city, with supplies of stones, narrow, easy to defend, passageways and slits for windows. The city is made from mud, over time the mud deposited, the level of the river fell and what is now the present city was above the surrounding river. Houses and other buildings were made by tunneling down into the hardened mud. A huge map at the grounds entrance
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