We waited a few hours before we could get in. There were visiting Chinese dignitaries in there and they forbade entry into the museum until these goons left. To me, politicians will always be goons especially those despotic ones from third world countries though our own are not very different these days. The great thing about this delay was we met a few people from other parts of the world, 2 Turkish men who were in Urumqi for a conference, a local Uighur guide, a couple from Australia and 2 women from New Zealand. The Australian, 'don't miss the biggest piece of jade'... we almost did, it was at the entrance, a 2 ton piece of black jade. They found an English speaking guide and invited us to join them which we did. It wasn't a big museum, it showcased mostly the lives of the different minorities in Xinjiang.
They make the most fantastic tapestries and carpets, absolutely beautiful and stunning. The most important exhibit in this museum are the Tarim basin mummies.
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