A key section of the Urumqi-Yuli Expressway, which connects Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, with Yuli County in southern Xinjiang, was successfully delivered on Friday.
The segment links Urumqi to Baluntai Town in the Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, traversing the most complex terrain along the entire route and presenting the highest engineering challenges.
"The Urumqi-Yuli Expressway, which winds through the Tianshan Mountains, features complex geography, a high bridge-to-tunnel ratio, and challenging construction conditions. Notably, it also includes the world's longest expressway tunnel, the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel, which posed numerous world-class challenges to the construction. The construction team overcame these difficulties to complete the section, which has now passed acceptance inspection," said Zhou Zheng, a general manager of the Urumqi-Yuli Expressway public–private partnership project of China Communications Construction Company.
The 319.7-kilometer Urumqi-Yuli Expressway, designed to connect northern and southern Xinjiang, is set to open to traffic by the end of December.
As a key link connecting with other trunk expressways in the region, it is expected to significantly boost the flow of trade, logistics, and cultural tourism resources across Xinjiang.
Key section of major trunk expressway in Xinjiang delivered
Efforts are underway in Gaza City to salvage what remains of the territory's cultural heritage after nearly two years of war.
At the ruins of the Great Omari Mosque, Gaza's oldest and largest mosque, Palestinian workers have been clearing and sorting stones dating back more than 1,200 years using basic tools.
"The Great Omari Mosque represents the heart and soul of Gaza City, and Palestine as a whole. The value of these stones is not in their size, but in their deep and layered historical significance," said Husni Al-Mazloom, manager of the Great Omari Mosque restoration project.
Only fragments of the mosque's minarets and a few of its external walls remain standing.
"During the war, it was not only people, trees, and buildings that were targeted, but also thousands of years of human history. Most historical sites in Gaza City were struck and destroyed in an attempt to erase the historical identity of Gaza's people," said Palestinian historian Ayman Al-Balbisi.
Progress on the restoration project has been extremely slow, as Israel continues to restrict the entry of construction materials, even after nearly eight weeks of ceasefire.
On a positive note, however, the project provides locals with more income.
"Before working here, we were unemployed. When this opportunity became available for me and 20 other workers, it allowed us to provide for our families and cover basic needs. During the war, there was no work available for us at all," said worker Ali Al-Qaloushi.
Palestinians have accused Israel of deliberately targeting heritage sites. But Israel denied, saying its strikes followed international law and targeted Hamas tools near or beneath these locations.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has verified damage to 145 religious, cultural and historical sites in Gaza since October 2023, raising fears of irreversible loss in a territory whose history spans more than 5,000 years and carries the imprint of numerous civilizations.
Gazans race to preserve cultural heritage after two years of war
