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Urumqi

Turpan

TurpanAn oasis city located in the southeastern foot of the Tianshan Mountains, in the center of the Turpan Basin, its name means "depressed land" in Uyghur.Since ancient times, it has been called "Huoshu," and although the average maximum temperature in summer exceeds 38°C, the annual rainfall is extremely low at only 25mm.If you head north, you will reach the northern foot of the Tianshan Mountains, and if you head south, you will reach the southern Tianshan route. Due to its geographical location, it has been one of the most important bases on the Silk Road since ancient times.During the Western Han Dynasty in China, the former kingdom of Cheshi flourished with its royal palace in the ancient city of Jiaohe. When Tripitaka Master Xuanzang stopped by on his way to India, the kingdom of Gaochang was flourishing. The Tang Dynasty destroyed Gaochang and established the Anxi Protectorate here, after which the area was ruled by Tibet, the Western Uighur Kingdom, Mongolia, the Eastern Chagatai, Kashgar, and the Dzungar tribes.Karriz Museum"Karez" is a Persian word meaning "a dug structure through which water can pass."Groundwater is dug at the foot of the mountain and brought to the village.The method of drawing water involves digging vertical holes every 20 to 30 meters and connecting them with horizontal holes to allow the water to flow through.The deepest wells are nearly 70 meters deep, and the length is usually around 3 kilometers, with the longest being 10 kilometers.Turpan has 1,200 Karez canals, which bring in the underground water of melting snow from the Tianshan Mountains. As a result, even though Turpan is one of the driest areas in China, the village's waterways overflow with water, and rows of poplar trees provide shade, swaying their leaves in the wind.Turpan is famous for its grapes, and it is Karez that makes this possible.<img src="https://ak-d.tripcdn.com/images/0352f120000hhx5b0AE15_Z_1000_0.jpg" imageid="4363819" sourcewidth="1000" sourcehight="750">Jiaohe Ancient City10km west of Turpan city.It is called Jiaohe Ancient City because it is located at the intersection of two rivers.It was around 2,200 years ago that it was the seat of government for the Cheshi Kingdom during the Han Dynasty.While Gaochang Ancient City was the home of the Han people who had moved into the area after the Han Dynasty, Jiaohe Ancient City was the ancient home of the Cheshi people, who are thought to have been a horse-riding people. Although the two cities are 70 kilometers apart, they each maintained their own unique culture.After the fall of the Cheshi Kingdom in 450 AD, the ancient city of Jiaohe also came under the control of the Han people.The Tang Dynasty destroyed the Gaochang Kingdom of the Koji clan and established the Anxi Protectorate in the ancient city of Jiaohe.The extant ones date from the Tang dynasty and later.The castle is rectangular, measuring 1,000m east to west and 300m north to south, with castle gates on the east and south. There are no castle walls, but a 3m wide, 350m long main street runs north to south through the southern part of the castle, and on both sides of the street a group of collapsed earthen buildings remain. The northwestern district is a temple district with temple remains and pagodas, the northeastern district is a residential district with rows of small buildings, and the southeastern district has many large buildings and was the location of the government office.All of these are made of earth.<img src="https://ak-d.tripcdn.com/images/fd/tg/g4/M01/6B/CB/CggYHlXMXCuAFXNMABlJp9O32lc849_Z_1000_0.jpg" sourcewidth="1000" sourcehight="666">Gaochang Ancient CityIt is located 40 km east of the city of Turpan.From the 5th to the 7th centuries, it flourished as the royal castle of the Gaochang Kingdom, which was built by the Han Chinese Quong family.1.4 km east to west, 1.5 km north to south.All the buildings are made of sun-dried bricks and have been weathered to the point that most of them are in ruins, although the remains of the royal castle, Nestorian temples, Manichaean temples and Buddhist temples can still be discerned.The current Gaochang Ancient City is said to have been built by Ko Wentai, who invited Tripitaka Master Xuanzang to this area in 628.Xuanzang attempted to revisit the place on his way back from India in 645, but by then it had already been destroyed by the Tang Dynasty.After the Tang Dynasty destroyed the Gaochang Kingdom in 640, it established the Anxi Protectorate in Jiaohe Ancient City, and later flourished as the royal capital of the Uyghur Gaochang Kingdom.It was abolished in the early Ming dynasty.<img src="https://ak-d.tripcdn.com/images/03560120000hiyn4u75B2_Z_1000_0.jpg" imageid="4363822" sourcewidth="1000" sourcehight="750"><img src="https://ak-d.tripcdn.com/images/03522120000hlmgbc5560_Z_1000_0.jpg" imageid="4363833" sourcewidth="1000" sourcehight="556">Flame MountainA rocky mountain lying in the center of the Turpan Basin.When exposed to the strong summer sunlight it turns fiery red and the locals call it Kyzyl-Tag (Red Mountain).Not only is it red in color, but in geology, folding occurs when forces acting on the earth's crust cause the rock layers to bend into wave-like shapes. This folding movement creates countless vertical folds in the mountainside, making it look like red flames.It stretches 100km east to west, 10km north to south, and has an average altitude of about 500m.The scene in Journey to the West in which Sun Xing is stopped at the Flaming Mountain of Tripitaka in the Tang Dynasty and seizes Basho's fan is set here.The story is about how in order to pass the burning mountain of flames, Basho's fan, which is said to be a fan that "if you fan it once the fire will go out, if you fan it twice it will create wind, and if you fan it three times it will bring rain," is stolen from Princess Iron Fan.<img src="https://ak-d.tripcdn.com/images/03520120000hlaxkg3C59_Z_1000_0.jpg" imageid="4363831" sourcewidth="1000" sourcehight="662">Bezeklik Thousand Buddha CavesBezeklik means "decorated house" in Uyghur and is located 60 km east of Turpan city.This cave temple is 400m wide and carved into the cliffs of the Murtuk River at the northern foot of Mount Flame.There are currently 64 caves in existence; excavation began in the 6th century during the reign of the Qu clan in Gaochang, and reached its peak in the 10th century.At that time, Turpan was the center of the Uighur Gaochang state, but the Uighurs had not yet converted to Islam and continued to practice Buddhism.Many of the caves were decorated with gorgeous murals, but they were not cut up or stolen by foreign explorers such as Stein.The most famous of the remains is the "Prince of Each Country Expressing Their Sorrow" painting in Cave 39. Expressing their grief by crying loudly at a funeral is a way of showing grief to the bereaved, but this painting depicts the appearance, clothing, and hair accessories of various ethnic groups in the Western Regions, evoking the customs and lifestyles of those times.<img src="https://ak-d.tripcdn.com/images/03552120000hmgkg1240A_Z_1000_0.jpg" imageid="4363836" sourcewidth="1000" sourcehight="632">

This booking can be canceled under certain conditions

Ancient City of Gaochang

Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves

Flaming Mountains

Yarkhoto Ruins

Turpan Kan'erjing Museum

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<Private Charter> Xinjiang's exotic oasis town! One-day sightseeing including Turpan Gaochang Ancient City, Jiaohe Ancient City, Karez, Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves, Flame Mountain, etc. Lunch included <Departure from Urumqi/Hotel transfer/Japanese guide/Departure for 1 person>