As an important post on the Silk Road long time ago, Turpan has rich cultural relics, which are very attractive to tourists to explore. Influenced by Islamic and Buddhist cultures in history, the historical sites are mainly related to these two religions. Besides, hard-working local Turpan people created the famous Grape Valley and Karez Irrigation system, which is also worth a visit to know their way of life.
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Emin Minaret |
Situated 2 km east of Turpan at Muna Village, Emin Minaret is also known as Sugong Minaret. It is designed in a simple Afghani style and was built in 1777 by the son - Suleman of local ruler, Emin Khoja after his death. |
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Flaming Mountain |
Flaming Mountain was made well know in Chinese literature by the classic novel Journey to the West. The story is about the monk Xuan Zang and his 3 disciples who traveled west in search of the Buddhist sutra The mountain was a formidable barrier which they had to cross. |
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Grape Valley |
Nestled in the Flaming Mountain, 10 km northeast of Turpan, the Grape Valley runs 8 km from north to south at a width of 0.6-2 km. In the green valley, an area of 285 hectares has been planted with grapes, producing 14932 tons of all kinds of grapes. |
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Gaochang & Jiaohe Ruins |
Both used to be major staging post on the Silk Road, and were abandoned soon after the invasion of other tribes in 13th century. The ruins can remind us of the cities' prosperity during their heyday. |
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Karez Irrigation System |
Karez Irrigation System was created by ancient Uygur people at the second half of 18th century. It can mainly be found in the area of Turpan, Hami and Helei. If connecting all these underground channels together, the total length will reach more than 5000 km. |
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Astana Ancient Tombs |
Situated 42 km southeast of Turpan (6 km to Gaochang), the graves are the cemetery of the ancient Gaochang residents. 456 tombs have been excavated since 1950's, and more than 10000 pieces of archaeological finds were discovered here. |
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Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves |
Located at northwestern side of the Flaming Mountain – 45 km from Turpan, the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves are complex of Buddhist cave grottos dating from the 5th to the 13th centuries. These caves were built on a cliff face fronting a river valley. |
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Turpan Photo Gallery
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