Artux

In the Han Dynasty, it was a component of Shule, a significant town on the historic Silk Road, and continues to thrive in trade and business. In 60 BC, the Han Dynasty established the Protectorate of the Western Regions. Subsequently, in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Artush fell under the authority of the Chief Official of the Western Regions, which later became part of Western Turkic Khaganate. In 649, it was incorporated into the Shule Governor's Office of the Protectorate General to Pacify the West. In 840, the Uyghur Khaganate and other tribes established the Kara-Khanid Khanate, of which Artush was a region. Artush became part of the Chagatai Khanate during the Yuan Dynasty. During the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Artush was part of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate. The Yarkent Khanate was created during the Ming Dynasty, with Artush as one of its territories. …

It is situated in the northwest part of the Tarim Basin, south of the Tien Shan mountains. Like most of Xinjiang, Artush has a cool arid climate (Köppen BWk) with hot summers, freezing winters and little precipitation and low humidity year-round. The annual mean temperature is 13.1 °C (55.6 °F) and the annual mean precipitation around 95 millimetres or 3.74 inches. Most of this limited precipitation falls from erratic thunderstorms in the summer months, although at this time relative humidity averages less than 35 percent. Artush is situated at the western periphery of the Tarim Basin, on the southwestern slope of the Tianshan Mountains, characterized by high mountains, ravines, and valleys, with terrain that gradually ascends from south to north. …

Artush's economy is primarily agriculture, the agricultural products are mainly cotton, grapes, and sheep. Industries in Artush include salt-making, cotton-ginning, food processing and cooking oil processing. Agricultural products include wheat, corn, sorghum, sesame, rice and others, and the local specialty is the common fig. Sheep are the main livestock in Artush.