Mar. 8, 2010 -- Reporters from Xi'an Evening News learned from Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology that archaeologists exploring the Qin Tomb have discovered a north gate of the tomb's outer city, marking an important archaeological discovery. The north gate proves that the Qin Tomb has 4 gates. In addition, archaeological exploration of some Han Dynasty tombs located in the Qin Tomb site has led to the exposure of the largest solid bricks unearthed so far.

The 93-meter tall and 7-meter wide north gate was built in the north wall of the tomb's outer city. It is 455 meters from the east wall, and 412 meters from the west wall. There is a platform made of rammed earth at the top of both the eastern and western sections of the north wall. The 4.4-meter long western platform extends from the south to the north while the eastern platform has been seriously damaged. The central part of the gate has collapsed and only rammed earth can be seen there presently. The north gate is different from the other 3 gates which were all built on a rectangular base made of rammed earth.

In the past, archaeologists were unsure if the north gate actually existed. Therefore, the academic circle had doubts about the tomb's orientation and some experts held that it runs from the east to west. As the north gate has now been discovered, the orientation of the Qin Tomb is likely to be determined soon and it is said that the tomb may run from the south to north.