A farmer in Turpan in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China, recently found a well-preserved ancient tomb on his farm.
The farmer, Halik, discovered the tomb when he was working in the field. Archaeologists said it could date back to the early years of the 20th century.
The trapezoid-shaped coffin is 2 meters long, 50 cm at the upper border and 60 cm at the bottom border. It was covered with red paint with patterns of flowers such as lotuses and peonies.
Inside was a mummified man dressed in cotton-padded clothes, a cap on his head and face covered by a document paper. So far, archaeologists have no information on the identity of the tomb owner.
(China Daily February 25, 2004)
