Western Xia Mausoleums (Chinese: 西夏王陵) are located at the foot of the Helan Mountains (賀蘭山) in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (寧夏回族自治區) of northwestern China. Since the mausoleums are pyramid shaped, Western Xia Mausoleums earn the name of ‘Oriental Pyramids’.
Occupying an area of some 50 square kilometers, the Western Xia mausoleums are at the foot of the Helan Mountains (賀蘭山) including nine imperial mausoleums and 250 tombs of imperial relatives and officials of Western Xia Kingdom.
Western Xia Kingdom existed between 1038 and 1227, when it was conquered by the Mongols under Genghis Khan.
About 17,000 square meters have so far been excavated, but there are still many unknown mysteries.
Western Xia is little known to anyone because of Genghis Khan's policy calling for their complete eradication. The Mausoleums were totally destroyed after the conquest of Mongols, all valuables were looted by Mongol soldiers.
Some historians states that, the collapse of Western Xia Kingdom might be the first ever recorded example of attempted genocide and a successful ethnocide.
