URUMQI, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Friday opened its first Great Wall museum and it serves to shed light on the region's many Great Wall ruins.

Located in Yuli County, the Silk Road and Great Wall Culture Museum features more than 600 items or sets of items and an exhibition area of 2,520 square meters.

There are 212 Great Wall relics in Xinjiang, proof of the governance of this area by ancient Chinese dynasties, said Li Qiang, a director with Xinjiang's department of culture and tourism.

The relic sites, including beacon towers and garrison forts, span a period running from the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), according to the museum.

Yuli County has abundant Great Wall relics, including the ruins of the Kiyakkuduk beacon tower, dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Archaeologists believe the tower was once used to transmit military signals by smoke and fire and defend the ancient Silk Road.