Prefecture-level city · Xinjiang

Hami 哈密市

Hami, or Kumul (Uyghur: قۇمۇل, romanized: Qumul), is a prefecture-level city in eastern Xinjiang, China. It is well known for sweet Hami melons. In early 2016, the former Hami county-level city merged with Hami Prefecture to form the Hami prefecture-level city with the county-level city becoming Yizhou District. Since the Han dynasty, Hami has been known for its production of agricultural products and raw resources.

Location of Xinjiang, the surrounding province-level areaView province guide

Get to know Hami

A street by a mosque in Hami, Xinjiang.
A street by a mosque in Hami, Xinjiang. Photograph date recorded by the source: Taken on 19 July 2011. · Matthew Summerton · CC BY-SA 3.0
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Administrative area
Prefecture-level city · 地级市
Part of
Xinjiang
Chinese name
哈密市
Local areas
3 local areas

Area & population

Area in the source
137,222.00 km²
Population · 2020
673,383
Administrative seat
Yizhou District

Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.

Transport

By road Hami is located along China National Highway 312, an east–west route of 4,967 km from Shanghai to Khorgas, Xinjiang in the Ili River valley, on the border with Kazakhstan.

Hami Yizhou Airport is a one-gate airport located 12.5 km northeast of the city center.

Explore Hami

Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.

Places to explore around Hami

The shore of Barkol Lake and its surrounding fields and arid hills, photographed from a passenger aircraft. Photographed on 19 July 2018.The shore of Barkol Lake and its surrounding fields and arid hills, photographed from a passenger aircraft. Photographed on 19 July 2018.

Barkol Lake巴里坤湖

Barkol Lake occupies a closed basin between the eastern Tianshan ranges. Its saline water, pale shore margins and surrounding wet meadow create a different landscape from the alpine freshwater lakes farther west. The lake also…

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Hami Kings’ Tombs (哈密回王陵)Hami Kings’ Tombs · 哈密回王陵

Hami Kings’ Tombs哈密回王陵

Hami’s royal tomb complex preserves buildings associated with the Qing-period Hami rulers and their families. The mausoleum of the seventh ruler, the ninth ruler’s tomb and the adjoining Id Kah mosque reveal different…

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AI illustration of a general museum history gallery scene; not a photograph or an exact view of this place.AI illustration · AI 示意图(仅供参考,非该地点实拍)

Hami Museum哈密博物馆

Hami Museum introduces the eastern Xinjiang region through stone, bronze, pottery, wooden objects and preserved textiles. These collections connect the area’s settlements and burial sites with wider routes through the eastern…

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Yiwu Poplar Forest (伊吾胡杨林)Yiwu Poplar Forest · 伊吾胡杨林

Yiwu Poplar Forest伊吾胡杨林

Yiwu poplar forest (伊吾胡杨林) is the Euphrates poplar stand at Naomaohu Township (淖毛湖镇), Yiwu County (伊吾县), Hami (哈密市), Xinjiang, covering 476,000 mu.

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Hami Hui Prince Mansion and Tombs (哈密回王府与回王陵)Hami Hui Prince Mansion and Tombs (哈密回王府与回王陵), Yizhou District. Photograph: "哈密回王墓".

Hami Hui Prince Mansion and Tombs哈密回王府与回王陵

The Hami Prince scenic area (哈密王景区) in Yizhou District (伊州区), Hami (哈密市), Xinjiang, comprises the Hui Prince Mansion (回王府) and the Hui Prince Tombs (回王墓), the residence and burial complex of the Qing-dynasty Uygur princes of Hami.

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AI illustration of a general desert landscape scene; not a photograph or an exact view of this place.AI illustration · AI 示意图(仅供参考,非该地点实拍)

Dahaidao Yardang Official Route大海道正规开放线路

Dahaidao (大海道) is the yardang area of Yizhou District (伊州区), Hami (哈密市), Xinjiang, registered by the regional natural resources department as the Dahaidao yardang landform at Wubao Township (五堡乡).

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Barkol Grassland (巴里坤草原)Barkol Grassland · 巴里坤草原

Barkol Grassland巴里坤草原

Barkol Grassland (巴里坤草原) is a grassland in Barkol Kazakh Autonomous County (巴里坤哈萨克自治县), Hami, Xinjiang, and the Barkol Lake scenic area (巴里坤湖景区) lies in its western part.

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Barkol Ancient City (巴里坤古城)Barkol Ancient City · 巴里坤古城

Barkol Ancient City巴里坤古城

Barkol Ancient City (巴里坤古城) is the old walled county town of Barkol Kazakh Autonomous County (巴里坤哈萨克自治县) in Hami, Xinjiang, on the north slope of the East Tianshan; its surviving walls and gates are the core of a four-square-kilometre scenic area.

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Local life & food

Hami local specialties

哈密市特色美食 · 10 specialties to discover

AI illustration: A shallow bowl of cooked white and lightly golden grains with a few darker grains.Hami Melon Rice 哈密瓜饭AI illustration · AI 示意图(仅供参考,非实拍)

Hami Melon Rice (哈密瓜饭) is listed among the local specialties of Hami, Xinjiang. It is grouped here with rice & congee; retain the complete Chinese name when comparing local menus.

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AI illustration: A bamboo tray of white steamed mantou and lightly folded steamed bread rolls.Barkol Flaky Baked Bread 巴里坤油酥馍AI illustration · AI 示意图(仅供参考,非实拍)

Barkol Flaky Baked Bread (巴里坤油酥馍) is a round, flaky baked bread from Barkol Kazakh Autonomous County (巴里坤哈萨克自治县) in Hami (哈密), Xinjiang.

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AI illustration: A bamboo tray of white steamed mantou and lightly folded steamed bread rolls.Barkol Steamed Bread 巴里坤蒸饼AI illustration · AI 示意图(仅供参考,非实拍)

Barkol Steamed Bread (巴里坤蒸饼) is a steamed cake from Barkol Kazakh Autonomous County (巴里坤哈萨克自治县) in Hami (哈密), Xinjiang.

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Hami Mutton with Braised Flatbread (哈密羊肉焖饼) — dish photographHami Mutton with Braised Flatbread 哈密羊肉焖饼

Hami Mutton with Braised Flatbread (哈密羊肉焖饼) is a dish of mutton braised under layers of paper-thin, hand-rolled flatbread, from Hami (哈密) in Xinjiang.

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Photo: Source photographer · License not provided
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A tray of sliced mutton with scallion garnish and small dishes of dipping saucesHand-Grabbed Boiled Meat 手抓肉

Hand-Grabbed Boiled Meat (手抓肉) is a way of preparing bone-in meat associated with pastoral communities of the Junggar Basin (准噶尔盆地) and other northern grasslands.

Source ↗Read the dish guide →
Photo: N509FZ · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Grilled Lamb (烤羊肉) — dish photographGrilled Lamb 烤羊肉

Grilled Lamb (烤羊肉) is listed among the local specialties of Karamay, Xinjiang. The name includes 羊肉 (lamb or mutton). 烤 describes roasting or grilling.

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Photo: Source photographer · License not provided
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Photograph of Polo rice (抓饭).Polo rice 抓饭

The rice is rich and separate-grained, with sweet carrot, savory meat and occasional fruit sweetness rather than a sticky porridge texture.

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Photo: Rjanag · CC BY-SA 3.0
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Photograph of Nang bread (馕).Nang bread 馕

Thin nang is crisp, while thicker bread has a soft, chewy center and toasted crust. Fresh warmth brings out the wheat and topping aromas.

Source ↗Read the dish guide →
Photo: The original uploader was 用心阁 at Chinese Wikipedia . · CC BY-SA 3.0
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All dish names · 全部菜名 (10)

More dishes from across Xinjiang are in the Xinjiang food guide.

EXPLORE THE NEXT LEVEL

Counties & districts in Hami

3 areas belong directly to Hami.

3 areas

Plan your visit

Build your route

Barkol Lake and Hami Kings’ Tombs are about 95 km apart in a straight line. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.

Continue with Xinjiang →

More in Xinjiang

Sources & geographic information

Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.

Background text adapted from Hami — Wikipedia contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Text has been shortened and reorganized; source revision 1372645066.

Photo: Barkol Lake · Tomskyhaha · CC BY-SA 4.0. Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping, retouching or changing the photographed subject.

Photo: Hami Kings’ Tombs · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.

Photo: Yiwu Poplar Forest · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.

Photo: Hami Hui Prince Mansion and Tombs · Yanxutong1215 · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; EXIF orientation normalized, proportionally resized to at most 800 pixels and converted to WebP. No generated pixels or subject changes. Cards may crop the display.

Photo: Barkol Grassland · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.

Photo: Barkol Ancient City · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.