Few people have ever heard of the name "Guge", an ancient kingdom that once ruled today's western Tibet. The few remaining historical records in existence today reveal little about "Guge", apart from its miraculous rise to dominance, and its mysterious demise. Perhaps the only signs left of the kingdom are a cluster of earthen structures, standing silently in the searing desert sun. Eighteen kilometers of Zhada County in western Tibet, the site of the former Guge kingdom lies extended from the mid-ridge to the top of a mountain 300 meters high. The site has endured the harsh march of time, parched by the desert sun during the day and lashed by the wind at night, if only to tell the forgotten story of Guge. Chief of Zhada County Relics Bureau Wang Xinxiong said, "This is the White Palace, the largest remaining structure of the Guge Kingdom. It occupies an area of 300 square meters." Inside the spacious palace are walls of murals, the quintessential part of Guge art. Despite their age, they still exude a luster through ages of dust. Han Xingang, a famous painter in the area, spent two years making reproductions of the original murals. Painter Han Xingang said, "If you look at it really closely, you'll notice a tiny Buddha figure. And it has remarkable details - the eyes, the brows, the gesture, even the pattern of the clothes. Everything was treated with unfailing attention." Most of the murals are religious paintings, either portraits of various Buddhas or works depicting scenes believed to have happened in their lives. Similar paintings are also found in another building, the Red Palace. And they shed light on the religious life of the Guge people. Painter Han Xingang said, "This painting depicts a religious ceremony attended by the masses. And it reflects an important aspect of Guge people's social life. You can see the clothes they wore for the procession. The group of merchants testifies to the trade they had with the outside world. Very rare painting well preserved." Believed to have originated in the early tenth century, the ancient Guge Kingdom was once a dominant power in the region. Given that the ruling class of Guge was fervent believers in Tibetan Buddhism, the kingdom proved another haven for the religion after the downfall of the Tufan kingdom where Buddhism had flourished. It was one of the most heavily guarded kingdoms of its time. One single tunnel leads up to the top of the mountain, allowing the entrance of no more than one person at any given time. The entire core structures of the kingdom, for example the royal residences, were located there. But such measures failed to keep invaders outside. Opinions still differ over the demise of the kingdom. But most historians believe that it was troops from the Ladake kingdom, whose rulers descended from the same ancestors as the Guge, who attacked at the end of the sixteenth century. The war lasted for 15 years. In the end, the once glorious Guge kingdom was reduced to a pile of debris, and eventually buried under sand. It would be another 300 years before its history would see daylight again. The site was included in the national heritage list in 1961. And several preservation efforts have been made since. But according to officials from the local relic's bureau, the site might one day succumb to the constant erosion of the wind and rain.