Northeast of Kashgar (Kashi) lie the remains of Hanuoyi Gucheng (Ha Noi Ancient City) and Muer Fota (Mor Pagoda), both dating from the pre-Islamic period when Buddhism flourished in Xinjiang, and contemporaneous with other abandoned cities in the Taklamakan Desert like Niya and Karahoja. Thought to have flourished between the 7th and 12th centurties AD. The remains of the Mor Pagoda are indicative of the Buddhist civilisation that once thrived here.