The Profound History of Turpan: The Ancient City of Jiaohe

Just like you can't visit Hami without eating melon, you can't come to Turpan without tasting grapes. But don't just focus on the food. Turpan has a sealed historical scroll waiting for you to slowly unfurl: the Ancient City of Jiaohe. The Ancient City of Jiaohe is located on an island-shaped mesa 13 km west of Turpan. It is called Jiaohe because the river divides and flows around the city. It was originally the capital of the "Cheshi Anterior Kingdom," one of the 36 kingdoms in the Western Regions. Because it was located in a strategic location leading to the Western Regions, the Western Han government had a strong strategic awareness. They fought the Cheshi in five battles, defeated the Xiongnu, and sent Zhang Qian, Zheng Ji, and Ban Chao to the Western Regions to open up the Silk Road. During the Tang Dynasty, the Anxi Protectorate was established in the Ancient City of Jiaohe, and the Gaochang Kingdom was established, making Jiaohe City an administrative, military, transportation, and religious center city governing the Western Regions. Jiaohe was at its peak on the Silk Road Economic Belt. From the 9th to 14th centuries, due to years of war, Jiaohe City gradually declined at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and was finally abandoned. The Ancient City of Jiaohe has a history of more than 2,000 years. It is the world's largest, oldest, and best-preserved rammed earth building city, and it is also the most complete urban ruins in China. In 1961, it was listed as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. On June 22, 2014, at the 38th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, the Ancient City of Jiaohe was successfully included in the "World Heritage List" as a site in the "Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor," a joint application by China, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.