Artush

Artush (/ɑːrˈtʊʃ/ ar-TUUSH; also transliterated as Artux or Atush) is a county-level city and the capital of Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang, China. The government seat is in Guangming Road Subdistrict. As of 2018, it has a population of 285,507 people, 81.4 per cent of whom are Uyghurs.

Artush is the political, economic and cultural center of Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture.

History

In the Han Dynasty, it was a component of Shule, a significant town on the historic Silk Road, and continues to thrive in trade and business. In 60 BC, the Han Dynasty established the Protectorate of the Western Regions. Subsequently, in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Artush fell under the authority of the Chief Official of the Western Regions, which later became part of Western Turkic Khaganate. In 649, it was incorporated into the Shule Governor's Office of the Protectorate General to Pacify the West.

In 840, the Uyghur Khaganate and other tribes established the Kara-Khanid Khanate, of which Artush was a region. Artush became part of the Chagatai Khanate during the Yuan Dynasty. During the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Artush was part of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate. The Yarkent Khanate was created during the Ming Dynasty, with Artush as one of its territories.

In 1759, the Qing authorities quelled the turmoil in the large and tiny Hezhuo, placing Artush under the authority of the Minister of Kashgar, referred to as Astu Altush, while Aqimu Burke was established in Atushi Zhuang to oversee local governance. In 1884, Atushi was incorporated into Gansu-Xinjiang Province[zh].

In January 1943, Artush County was established. In 1949, it was part of Kashgar Prefecture. On July 14, 1954, the Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture was founded, and Atushi County was placed under its administration, subsequently recognized as the capital of the Autonomous Prefecture. In June 1986, Atushi County was dissolved, leading to the establishment of the city of Atushi.

At 10:23 pm on January 19, 2020, a 5.2 magnitude earthquake struck in Artush.

Geography and climate

It is situated in the northwest part of the Tarim Basin, south of the Tien Shan mountains. Like most of Xinjiang, Artush has a cool arid climate (Köppen BWk) with hot summers, freezing winters and little precipitation and low humidity year-round. The annual mean temperature is 13.1 °C (55.6 °F) and the annual mean precipitation around 95 millimetres or 3.74 inches. Most of this limited precipitation falls from erratic thunderstorms in the summer months, although at this time relative humidity averages less than 35 percent.

Artush is situated at the western periphery of the Tarim Basin, on the southwestern slope of the Tianshan Mountains, characterized by high mountains, ravines, and valleys, with terrain that gradually ascends from south to north.

Artush features undulating high mountains and minor plains, with the topography elevated in the north and declining in the south, gradually dropping from the southwest to the east, resulting in a complex terrain. The northern section of the city features a prominent mountainous region, characterized by the Maydan and Kara Tirzhek mountains of the Tianshan Mountains, along with undulating hills and mountain ranges. The central region comprises the middle highlands and low hills, interspersed with the Tugu Baiti and Harajun basins. The southern region features an intermountain floodplain, integral to the Kashgar delta, characterized by flat topography.

Administrative divisions

Artush includes three subdistricts, one town, six townships and one other area:

Other:

• Red Flag Farm of 3rd Division, XPCC (兵团农三师红旗农场)

Economy

Artush's economy is primarily agriculture, the agricultural products are mainly cotton, grapes, and sheep.

Industries in Artush include salt-making, cotton-ginning, food processing and cooking oil processing. Agricultural products include wheat, corn, sorghum, sesame, rice and others, and the local specialty is the common fig. Sheep are the main livestock in Artush.

Demographics

As of 1997[update], 81.5% of the population of Artush was Uyghur.

As of 1999[update], 79.68 per cent of the population of Artush were Uyghur and 7.21 per cent of the population were Han Chinese.

As of 2015[update], 216,651 (80.44%) of the 269,317 residents of Artush were Uyghurs, 30,174 (11.20%) were Kyrgyz, 21,754 (8.08%) were Han Chinese and 738 were from other ethnic groups.

As of 2018[update], the population of Artush was 285,507.

Transportation

Artush is served by the Southern Xinjiang Railway.

Historical maps

Historical English-language maps including Artush:

• Map including Artush A-t'u-shih (DMA, 1983)
• Map including Artush (labeled as A-T'U-SHIH (ARTUSH)) (AMS, 1966)
• From the Operational Navigation Chart; map including Artush (A-t'u-shih) (DMA, 1980)
• Map including Artush (A-t'u-shih) (DMA, 1984)

Notes