As you approach Devil's City, what you at first looks a castle & other stuctures is actually a weird collection of earthen mounds, ravines, and huge stones that have been twisted and blasted by the wind into shapes resembling castles, animals, and perhaps even monstrous demons with fanged maws. You may then hear ghostly voices, singing, perhaps even moaning or wailing, from the surrounding desert.
In the Gobi Desert lies the Yadan National Geological Park. The park is known for its collections of unique natural formations found nowhere else. The twisted and surreal landscape are the result of what is known as Yadan landforms. The Yadan landforms are formed by millions of years of constant wind erosion, the forces of numerous floods, storms, and rains, and the dry climate all working to carve exposed boulders and ravines into various unusual shapes.
Around 100 million years ago, the place was not a desert at all, but rather an enormous freshwater lake. This lake over time receded to expose sedimentary rocks, boulders, and ravines, which were then transformed by the forces of nature into the array of natural sculptures scattered throughout the area.
Amid all of the landforms is the infamous Dunhuang Devil Town, also called “Demon City,” “Ghost City,” and Moguicheng, which means “The City of the Devil,” an area with a particularly high concentration of Yadan landforms that give the eerie appearance of an actual abandoned town with buildings, roads, squares, and walls that have the illusion of having been carefully placed intentionally by mysterious hands. Among the rock formations are those that look like fanged demons coiled and ready to pounce, and beasts looming over the landscape like sentries overlooking their domain. Numerous multicolored stones peppered throughout the landscape and embedded within the rolling hills surrounding the area add to the surreal, mystical effect.
The most bizarre aspect of the Demon City are the inexplicable mysterious sounds said to emanate from it and the surrounding area. The sounds come in many variations. It is said that during the day, one can hear what sounds like guitar strings being plucked, the tingling of bells, and human voices whispering, shouting, and even singing. Even creepier, there are times when these sounds pervading the air take on the quality of moaning, screaming, quarreling, or of babies crying. At night and when the frequent strong winds that lash the region come to send sand and gravel whipping through the air, the mystery sounds transform into a frightening cacophony that is described as reminiscent of lions roaring, wolves howling, elephants trumpeting, and pigs being slaughtered.
The sources of these strange sounds are not clear, and most of the time they are said to seem to come from all directions at once, as if materializing from the air itself. Locals believe they are the voices of ghosts, spirits, or demons. Although it is more likely that the sounds are some as yet misunderstood effect of the wind on the various unusual Yadan landforms, it is still a mystery as to what causes this weird phenomenon, and research into the acoustics of the area has been inconclusive. The area also exhibits an unusual level of magnetism, although it is not clear whether this has any connection with the unusual auditory phenomena reported there.
Topic: Gobi Desert's "Devil City" (Read 2607 times)
