East
of Urumqi Tian Shan split into a southern and a northern range,
and between the two lie the Hami and Turpan basins. Both basins
are below sea level and receive practically no rain so summers
are sear- ingly hot. Part of the Turpan Basin is 154m below
sealevel - it's the lowest spot in China and the second lowest
depression in the world (after the Dead Sea).
Turpan holds a special place in Uyghur history, since nearby
Gaochang was once the capital of the Uyghurs. It was an important
staging post on the Silk Road and was a center of Buddhism before
being converted to Islam in the 8th century. During the Chinese
occupation it served as a garrison town.
Turpan is also the hottest spot in China -the highest recorded
temperature here was 49.6 ¡ãC (121.3 ¡ãF). Fortunately, the humidity
is low - so low that your laundry is practically dry by the
time you hang it out! To compensate, Turpan is famous for its
grapes and is an important producer of sultanas and wine.
Turpan county is inhabited by about 240,000 people - just
over half are Uyghurs and the rest mostly Hah. The centre of
the county is the Turpan oasis, a small city set in a vast tract
of grain fields and grape vines. Despite the concrete-block
architecture of the city centre, it's a pleasant, relaxing place.
Some of the smaller streets have pavements covered with grapevine
trellises, which are a godsend in the fierce heat of summer.
Moving farther out of town, the narrow streets are lined with
mud-brick walls en- closing thatch-plaster houses. Open chan-
nels with flowing water run down the sides of the streets; the
inhabitants draw water from these and use them to wash their
clothes, dishes and themselves.
Gaochang Ruins
East of Turpan are the ruins of Gaochang (Gaochang Gucheng),
the Uigur city-state that ruled the area from around the 9th
century to the 13th. The city was actually founded a few hundred
years earlier than that, and gradually became known as a trading
post on the Silk Road.
In its heyday, Gaochang was a great Uigur city built on the
business and trade that came through its gates. The religious
beliefs of many peoples entered China through this area, first
Buddhism and later Islam.
Most of the ruins are gone, but enough remain to give a feeling
of the true size and majesty of this Silk Road city. The city
walls, made of earth, are set in a 5km square, with heights
of up to 11 meters and width of 12 meters. The city is also
divided into an outer city, an inner city, and a palace compound.
Baizeklik Thousand Buddha Caves
The Baizeklik Thousand Buddha Caves are on the northwestern
side of the Flaming Mountains facing a river valley, and are
only 15km north of the ancient Gaochang City and 45km east of
Turpan. These caves are one of the largest Buddhist "grotto"
(or Shiku, meaning grottoes or caves carved out of the mountain's
face to house Buddhist statues) sites in Xinjiang. 
The heyday of the caves was during the end of the Gaochang state
in the 13th century before the kingdom was moved to Gansu province.
After which, the area's people were converted to Islam and the
caves were subject to attack and fell into disrepair.
Most of the statues and frescos here have either been destroyed
by Muslims or by foreign adventurer-explorers, The caves of
today are only a glimmer of their previous glory. Nevertheless
the surrounding scenery is quite nice, so it's worth a trip.
Emin Minaret
The Emin Minaret (Emin Ta), just 2km east of Turpan, is both
a mosque and minaret tower that was built in 1778 by the local
muslim ruler, Emin Hoja. Also known as Sugong Tower (Sugong
Ta) after Emin's Chinese name, the minaret was built in a simple
Islamic style. It is circular, 44 meters in height, and 10 meters
in diameter at the base. Unfortunately, the minaret is no longer
open to the public in an effort to preserve the structure, however,
you can view the surroundings from the roof of the mosque. As
for the mosque, although it is rather bare inside, services
are held every Friday and on holidays.
Jiaohe Ruins
The ancient, ruined city of Jiaohe (Jiaohe gucheng) stands
isolated on a 30-meter-high plateau in the Ya'ernaizi Valley,
10 kilometers east of Turpan. The city is situated on an island
between two rivers and the name for the area means "the
confluence of two rivers".
The whole city stretches about 1650 meters from south to north,
and 300 meters from east to west. It was initially built about
2000 years ago and for a long period of time, was controlled
by the residents of Gaochang.
Today, this is a well preserved site and a more atmospheric
spot to wander and imagine times gone by than the city at Gaochang.
Well preserved temples, pagodas and streets are dotted around.
A Buddhist monastery marks the center of the city and there
are some ancient filled wells here too. The crumbling sand colored
walls of the buildings reflect the color of the desert and the
surrounding sand dunes.
Flaming Mountains
The Flaming Mountains (Huo Yan Shan), are so named because
in the evenings the red clay mountains reflect the heat and
glow of the desert and seem to burn.
Situated
on the northern edge of the Turpan basin, and stretching over
100 km long and 10km wide, this is an intensely hot part of
the desert with not a single blade of grass to be seen for miles.
In the severe heat of July, the mountains seem to be on fire
in the burning sun and become a purplish-brown color.
Grape Valley
Grape Valley (Putao gou) is located close to the Flamming
Moutains. The area around Turpan is known for its wealth of
fruit orchards and vineyards and in the late summer, the grapes
are ripe and this is a wonderful time to visit the valley.
The Valley itself consists of a trail of thick vines and trellises
surrounded by stark desert. There is a winery here and some
well ventilated brick buildings for hanging grapes. Two types
of wine are produced in the area: a rich dark red port-like
drink, and a lighter more fruity white wine. Both wine and raisins
are exported in large quantities from Turpan. There is a grape
festival here in August with singing, dancing and eating!
Backed by the mountains and lying alongside the river, Grape
Valley is a pretty little spot to stop for a rest and something
to eat and drink.
