Turfan

Flaming Mountains

As one of the hottest places on earth, Flaming Mountain has always been a famous tourist attraction, with its harsh yet unique natural conditions, as well as abundant cultural heritage. The Flaming Mountain is very popular thanks to a classical novel, The Journey to the West by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) writer, Wu Cheng'en and its charming hero-The Monkey King.

Located on the northern edge of the Turpan Basin, Flaming Mountain runs 10 kilometers east of Turpan city, stretching up to 100 kilometers from east to west and about 10 kilometers from south to north. The mountain begins at Liusha River in Shanshan County in the east and ends in Peach Valley in the west.

The mountain's average altitude is about 500 meters, with the highest peak, Shengjinkou, towering 831 meters above sea level. Known as Red Rock Mountain in ancient Chinese classics, or Keziletage ("Red Mountain") in Uygur, Flaming Mountain is largely made up of bare rock. In the summer, the region gets so hot that you can "hard boil" an egg by burying it in the sand for just a few minutes. With strong direct radiation from the sun, the highest temperatures can reach 47.8 degrees Celsius and the earth's surface temperature can top 70 degrees. From a distance, at the foot of the mountain, dozens of the red rock hills look like flaming fireballs under the blazing sun - hence its name, Flaming Mountain. 

However, its natural allure is not characterized by mere heat. Behind the sterile rock mountains, there are many hidden valleys shaped by diastrophism millions of years ago. The natural conditions of these valleys, which abound with various plants and trees, are quite different. The most famous ones include Grape Valley, Peach Valley, Wood Valley and Shengjinkou Valley. Among them, Grape Valley is best known for producing the best grapes in the country. These "green islands" add extra glamour and diversity to the deserted Flaming Mountain.

Jiaohe Ruins

Jiaohe Town ruin is the best preserved town ruin in China. It is located about 10 kilometers away from Turpan city. The strip-shaped town was around 0.8 kilometers long and the widest point spanned about 300 meters. The town was surrounded by sheer cliffs, then two twisting 30-meter-deep rivers. That's why the town was so called for Jiaohe means twisting rivers in Chinese.

Jiaohe was completely destroyed by wars in the 14th century. Evidences indicate that the places became a ruin as early as the Ming Dynasty.  In the ruin, there are 1389 residential house ruins, 53 Buddhism temples, 316 ancient wells and 34 alleys. The town was uniquely arranged, containing an above part and underground part.

The main street of Jiaohe Town ran from south to north, about 350 meters long and 10 meters wide. The street cut the town into two sections. The populous east section with dense buildings was the official area and the west section, characterized by sporadic dilapidated buildings was residential and workshop area. The west section had 2, 0000 square meters with main and attached buildings and squares. The grandest building complex in this part was the palaces of former Cheshi State. Crisscrossed streets and underground passages and gardens are visible in the ruin. 

Buildings at the residential area are well preserved. The houses were mainly in cave-style created by digging into the ground. Each house is attached with a garden, inside which lied a deep well. In the north side stood many Buddhism Temples. Jiaohe was once China's Buddhism center. Buddhism spread from Indian through the Western Region to inland provinces of China and it's was flourished at the Western Region on its way. Western Region thus renowned as the Second Hometown of Buddhism.

Gaochang Ruins

Goachang is the largest city ruin in west China. The site served as the economical and religious center of Asia is located 40 kilometers from the Turpan City, at the north bank of the Aiding Lake and to the south of the Flaming Mountain.

Gaochang was fertile and cultivated land and served as capital of three western states. From the historical documents and relics excavated in the region, historians are able to sketch the outline of this grand city. Gaochang's ideal location at the middle of the Turpan Depression and the city's well layout with high walls and deep moats made it a significant military fortress of the Western Region over years.

Founded in the Liang Dynasty, Gaochang became part of the Tang's territory from 640 under Emperor Taizong. The city saw frequent changes of dynasties in the following hundreds of years and it was fatally destroyed during wars launched by Mongols in 12th century. It was later abandoned and became ruins. 
The ruins cover around 2.2 million square meters, containing three parts: the outer and inner cities. The layout of the city is similar to that of Chang'an, capital of Tang Dynasty at that time. The outer wall is the only visible structure left today. Some parts are well-preserved. The wall is about 5.4 kilometers long and up to 11.5 meters high. The foundation of the wall is as thick as 12 meters which make the structure very solid and strong. At the southeast and southwest sections of the Outer city stands many temples ruins.

The Inner City is rectangle-shaped and stretches around 3,600 meters long. Architecture inside the Inner City mainly was temples and palaces. The palace complex is in the middle of the Inner City and share the north wall with the outer City. There were many high and grand building in the complex but they are all very difficult to discern in its current state.

Grape Valley

Located in the Flaming Mountain 13 km (8 miles) of Turpan，the Grape Valley runs 8km (5miles) from north to south at a width of 0.5km (03.miles). This green paradise of 400 hektares (988 acres) is covered with layer upon layer of grapes.

It seems that all the water in the desert of Turpan flows into the Karez systems in the Grape Valley. Every single grape is crystal and watery-some are as green as emerald; some as red as agate, some as small as pearls while others are like olives. Among dozens of kinds of grapes, Wuhebai (white seedless) grape is reputed as a green pearl with the sugar content as much as 22%.

Escaping from the fiery Flaming Mountain, you may take a seat under the vintage frames, savor various grapes, enjoy the beautiful Uigar girls in their ornate costumes, and be fully intoxicated by this refreshing palace of grapes!

Taking a walk along the grape corridor, you will find drying rooms on nearby slopes. Every year over 300 tons of raisins are made here.

Mellowness penetrates your heart as the sweetness of grapes melts in your mouth. This unique experience in the Grape Valley will leave you with an enduring memory.

Astant Graves

To the northwest of the Gaochang Ruins lie the Astana Graves (Asitana Gumuqun), where the dead of Gaochang were buried，only three of the tombs are open to tourists. The ancient tombs are clearly zoned according to families and castes with natural stones. The burial area is large and stretches 5 km from east to west and 2 km from north to south. Unfortunately, today only a few of the tombs are open to tourists.

The typical Astana tomb has a short flight of steps leading down into the tomb. The burial chambers of the tombs generally have low ceilings (about 2 meters high) and a total area of about 4 square meters. The two of the three graves open to the public have paintings of either the deceased or of birds, while the third has two well-preserved corpses on display。The deceased typically rest their heads on a cloth pillow and have their faces covered with a cloth. They also hold wooden sticks and are dressed in cotton or silk clothes. Typically found with the dead are silks, brocades and a variety of funerary objects, including replicas of houses, horses, and paper clothing. Other things of interest found in the tombs are paper records of the everyday transactions and dealings of the day such as silk orders and slave purchases.

Karez

Karez were living in Xinjiang working people of all nationalities, under the local climate, hydrological characteristics of a creation of a clandestine diversion project, some Karez 1600, Turpan up with the most concentrated, according to statistics, a total of Turpan of Karez 1158, a total length of 5,000 km, the distance from Urumqi to Harbin milestone. Ancient Chinese Karez his greatest one of the underground water, the geographic academic experts as the "underground canal" with the Great Wall and Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal in ancient China known as a three projects.

Karez has been able to build a large number in Turpan, with the natural conditions here inseparable. First Turpan Basin lying low, below sea level below 2,085 square kilometers area alone, Surrounded by mountains and Turpan, the annual mountain snow melts after the inflow of large valley. When the snow running through the desert to seep into the ground when it formed the undercurrent, which Karez to provide a rich source of water.

Karez construction method is in the mountains, the snow valley undercurrent, finding water, Then every 20 meters to 30 meters to fight a shaft, the depth ranging from 10 meters to tens of meters of underground water pool to increase water potential, again according to the terrain heights, in the bottom of the well was completed culvert, the communication between wells, drainage Pavilion, has been connected to the remote oasis only water channel leads from the ground to be irrigated. A Karez, general about three kilometers, the longest of several Karez often linked to dozens or even hundreds of kilometers. During shaft mouth ranged from dozens to more than more than 300 mouths. Karez role is to avoid evaporation; the project is adapted to a dry climate characteristic of a great creation. Particularly praiseworthy is that the local people relying on their hands and simple tools, the hammer hits the Sham Tseng, excavated subsurface drainage, the mammoth projects, Structure clever and people alike.

Su Gong Tower

The Su Gong Tower is a typical tower of Islamic characteristics. It has a cylinder body made of yellow bricks standing 37 meters high. The outside decorated with the traditional minority tribe's flower patterns such as rhombic, water ripples, hill, four-petal-pattern, etc.

There are 14 windows in total from the top to the bottom. Each window is different in height and direction.

If you are planning to take a trip in Western China area, start from Turphan City and then Flaming Mountain, Su Gong Tower and then on to many other tourists attractions in the area will be a good start.

The Su Gong Tower was built in the year of Emperor Qianlong, Qing Dynasty (1778 AD), recorded in 1181 of Islamic calendar. The king of Turphan Sulaiman II sponsored this project to honor the great exploit of his father Eminhe. That is why this tower also called "Emin Tower".

Now it has become famous for not only being the noted architecture of Islamic art and the biggest antique tower in Xinjiang, but also being the only one Islamic architectural tower in China.