Turpan Things to Do

This Tang dynasty burial ground is where important individuals from nearby Gaochang (see separate tip) are buried.

There are three tombs open to visitors.

One contains the mummified bodies of a man and a woman; the second has wall paintings of ducks, pheasants, peacocks etc. indicating that the deceased was from another part of China, as some of these birds were not local. The body from this tomb is displayed in the museum in Urumqi, with a reconstruction of the tomb. The the paintings in the third tomb represent the Jade Man, Gold Man, Stone Man and Wooden Man (symbols of Confucian virtues) and illustration of a story about items sent to a man about to be appointed as an official (silk, grass, and money jar).

Photography is not permitted inside the tombs.

At the entrance to the complex are some rather odd modern animal sculptures.

The ruins of Jiaohe are situated on a rocky outcrop between 2 rivers. As we crossed a bridge to enter the site, we saw some ducks paddling in the inch or two of water of one of the ‘rivers’.

The ruins are every eerie, almost like an alien planet, and date from the Tang period, although the city lasted until the Yuan dynasty. The streets and courtyards were dug out of the ground. The small museum at the entrance also shows some recent prehistoric finds.

The city of Gaochang was founded in the 2nd century BC, and by the 7th century AD it had become the capital of the Kingdom of Gaochang.

It is a very large site, of which not much that is recognisable remains (and it is very hot in summer) so most visitors take a donkey taxi ride to a partly-restored Buddhist temple in the centre.

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These mountains are so called because of their red colour, which is supposed to make them look as if they are on fire when the sun catches them at a certain time of day.

Even when the sun is not in the right position, they are still fairly red, and look particularly stunning in contrast with the blue of the sky and the green of the vegetation in the valleys.

When it has been raining, mud slides can cause problems (see photo).

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Su Gong Ta Mosque is one of the largest mosques in Xinjiang. The grand mosque can accommodate 1000 people. The circular Emin Minaret and the square mosque are in sharp contrast without losing harmony.

Emin Minaret was build in 1777 with clay bricks. The 44-meter high minaret has no stories. From the base with a diameter of 10 meters, the minaret tapers to an Islamic dome. In the center of the minaret is a brick-piled pillar with 72 steps around it spiraling to the top. There are 14 openings for ventilation and lighting which are located in different directions and at various heights. On the top, there is an attic of 10 square meters with large windows on the four sides.

Due to some problems with my hurting knee I did not climb up the minaret. Emin Minaret is now the landmark of Turpan with its delicate decoration of unburnt clay bricks. There is a very similar minaret in Bukhara, which I show on my Bukhara page. The similarity in decoration shows the connections and mutual influence in culture and architecture, which developed through the trade along the Silkroad.

Very strange: as soon as I left the mosque my knee stopped hurting. And since then, even though I spent some time with hiking and walking in the mountains, the pain, that I had almost for one year, did not come back.

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In a gorge of Muztag Valley you'll find the Thousand Buddha Grottoes of Beziklik. Beziklik (also written Biziklik, Bizaklik or Baizilike) is an old Uygur word and means: "beautifully decorated". Between 5th and 13th century Buddhist monchs cut caves into the steep walls of the valley. Today about 60 are discovered and some of them are open to public.

The murals show Uygur and other style paintings of various centuries. They show Buddhist motives but also Manichean.

The most exceptionally rare mural topics in Bizaklik Caves are found in Caves No.16 and 17. Cave No.16 depicts a musician playing Xiao Hu Lei-- a lute-like instrument originating from southern China's Yunnan province. This strengthens the belief that cultural exchange between northern and southern China was unprecedented during Tang Dynasty.

The mural Transformation in Hell in Cave No.17 supports the notion Huihu Gaochang was the center of Manicheism from 9 to 12 century.

Buddhist disciples wailing in mourning and Bhikku wailing in mourning in Cave No.33 are also highly praised for their vivid depiction.

The murals have been heavily destroyed, first from vandals in 13th and 14th century, who came with Islam to this area. Islam does not allow pictures of people or animals. About 100 years ago adventurers and scientists from England, France, Russia and Japan came to explore the anicent places. In Biziklik mainly the German A. von LeCoq examined the caves. He cut every mural he liked and found important from the walls and brought them together with thousands of very valuable handwritings to Berlin. It is a sad sight to see the rectangular empty spaces on the walls. But on the other hand, who knows, what would have happened to the murals, if they stayed in the caves.

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Jiaohe is the other very important excavated and partly restored city near Turpan. Jiaohe is now UNESCO Worldheritage site.

Jiaohe was the capital of the former Cheshi State. An Indian proverb says, 'Intelligence is bound to exist where two rivers meet'. Jiaohe, meaning in Chinese where two rivers meet, is such a place. According to historical records it was home to 700 households, 6500 residents plus 865 soldiers. Jiaohe is also known under the name Yarkhoto.

Jiaohe distinguishes itself from other ancient cities owing to three features. First, it had only two city gates, the South and East Gates. The main South Gate vanished long ago, leaving a huge breach. The East Gate cut by the cliff was virtually non-existent. Second, the city faces cliffs on three sides, so there are no city walls commonly seen in other ancient cities. Third, all the buildings were dug from earth, and wood or bricks were rarely used.

The central avenue, 350-meters (1148.3-feet) long, runs north from South Gate, separating the city into three parts; namely, residences for common people, temples, and residences for aristocrats.

To the west of the avenue, low buildings with sparse small temples were residences for commoners, while the high ones in the east were for aristocrats and troops. At the end of the avenue stands a large Buddhist temple, Jiaohe Temple, with an area of 5,000 square meters (53,824 square feet), which is now (2007) under renovation.

At the end of the 8 Century, the city was under the various reigns of the Turpan, Hui, and Mongols. Residents fled from the destroyed city continuously until in the beginning of the 14 Century, the city was abandoned. Miraculously, owing to the arid climate and remote location, Jiaohe is well preserved. But you can see the clay walls dissolving because of wind and the rare rain.

When you walk around you can see some strange looking stones: those are loudspeakers!!! For an example please see foto no 5!

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In the city center there is a nice pedestrian road ocvered with grape trellises. Specially in the heat it is very comfortable to walk around under the grapes. They give shadow. Years ago this was a normal way the locals grow their grapes. Now I think this is mainly for the tourists.