The area occupied by the Western Xia tombs runs from south-west to north-east along the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains, about 12 km in length and up to 2.5 km in width. The earliest mausoleums appear to have been built at the southern end, with later construction moving seemingly step by step towards the north. All mausoleums have a similar layout, generally comprising a rectangular outer enclosing wall with a pair of gate towers at the southern end, one or more pavilions (usually a pair) housing memorial steles, a rectangular barbican in front of the entrance to a square or rectangular inner enclosure, with watch towers at the four corners. The solid tomb mound built over the site of the burial is constructed from
rammed earth. It is positioned off-centre, in the north-west part of the inner enclosure, and is up to 30 metres across and 23 metres in height. There are holes in the tomb mounds that would have originally supported wooden beams, and as large numbers of tiles have been found in each mausoleum, it is believed that the surviving mounds were merely the core of a more substantial architectural monument, coated with bricks, tiled eaves and decorative sculptures on each level. Mausoleums 1 and 2 are situated close together at the southern tip of the tomb complex, they are the two largest tombs with their outer enclosures both measuring 340 × 224 metres. These two are believed to be occupied by the grandfather,
Li Jiqian, and father,
Li Deming, of Li Yuanhao, the first Emperor of the Western Xia. Mausoleums 3 and 4 are about 4 km further north, with Mausoleum 3 at the eastern edge of the tomb area, and Mausoleum 4 situated about 2 km to the west, just next to the mountains. It is believed that Mausoleum 3 is occupied by
Emperor Jingzong (1st emperor, reigned 1038–1048) and Mausoleum 4 is occupied by
Emperor Yizong (2nd emperor, reigned 1048–1068). After more than two years of excavation, the excavation team entered the underground palace only to discover that it had been completely looted. About 3 km further north are a group of three mausoleums for Emperors
Renzong (5th emperor, reigned 1139–1193),
Huanzong (6th emperor, reigned 1193–1206), and
Xiangzong (7th emperor, reigned 1206–1211). This tomb is situated about 200 metres south-west of Mausoleum 6, and although it is large compared to the other ordinary tombs, it is still smaller than the imperial mausoleums, and does not share the same complex layout as the imperial mausoleums. If Shenzong and Xianzong are indeed buried in Tomb 161, then it would be the only mausoleum that does not follow the south-to-north order. == Subordinate tombs ==