Nàzhí

Nazhi was an old oasis settlement west of Hami. According to a Tang geographical work, its town was built by people from the ancient kingdom of Shanshan, and the local name for Shanshan gave Nazhi its name. The Tang established a county here in 630, abolished it in 718 and restored it nine years later. The site belonged to a chain of watered settlements along the eastern road into the Western Regions.