Meet Gulbakram Mumin: a modern-day guardian of the 2,000-year-old Jiaohe ruins in Turpan, northwest China. Growing up in the shadow of this ancient Silk Road city, she’s turned family tradition into a lifelong mission to protect history. 🏛️
Following her father and grandfather’s footsteps, Gulbakram studied heritage conservation and returned home to safeguard the UNESCO-listed site. 💪 'These ruins are our shared legacy,' she says, balancing preservation with efforts to make the crumbling walls and Buddhist temples come alive for visitors. 🧑🏫 From leading educational tours to using digital tools, she’s bridging ancient history and Gen-Z curiosity.
Jiaohe, once a bustling hub for traders and monks, now sees Gulbakram collaborating with archaeologists to combat erosion and climate threats. 🌦️ Her work ensures that stories of the past—Uygur, Han, and Silk Road cultures intertwined—remain accessible. 'Every cracked brick has a tale,' she laughs, 'and I’m just the storyteller.' 📖
