Archaeologists excavate an ancient tomb at the site of a tomb complex at Mount Pingding, Zhaobishan township, Kazak autonomous county of Mori, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Aug 2, 2015.  

Chinese archaeologists have discovered a huge 2,000-year-old tomb complex in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. The 100-plus tombs of various designs are scattered across 6 hectares of land 2 kilometers southeast of Pingdingshan village, Kazak autonomous county of Mori, said researchers with the Institute of Archaeology under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. These ancient tombs from the Qing and Han dynasties form five round stone and soil burial mounds in total.

The tombs are believed to have been built by nomadic tribes that have roamed the area for 3,000 years. Mount Pingding, south Mori County and in the northern foothills of east Mount Heaven, has been an ideal place for human activities since ancient times because of its gently rolling hills and exuberant grasslands.

Horse skeletons have been unearthed from the tombs, and some large tombs were surrounded by piles of rocks, said Wu Xinhua, head of the excavation team. Wu said many tombs had been damaged, as local villagers picked stones from the tombs to build houses after mistaking them for an ancient military fortress sites. Archaeologists have begun excavation to prevent further damage to the sites.