As we landed in the small airport in Turpan (Tulufan Airport), at mid-day, we discovered that we were the only passengers in the terminal. As I understood our guide, there are no flights to the east from Turpan. You can only fly west to Urumqi, 145 miles to the west. I haven't verified this, but it does make one curious about the politics and business of the Uigyr (~wegur) region.
We lodged in the Tulufan Huozhou Hotel in Turpan.
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| The Tulufan Airport, near Turpan. |
We lodged in the Tulufan Huozhou Hotel in Turpan.
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| Tulufan Houzhou Hotel. Note that they advertise 24 hour hot water! |
Turpan is an old city with a long history. Traces have been found of humans living there, dating as far back as 6,000 years ago. The city was known as Gushi in the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-24AD); and in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), it got its name Turpan, which means 'the lowest place' in the Uygur language and 'the fertile land' in Turki. Lying in the Turpan Basin, the elevation of most of the places in the area is below 500 meters (1,640 feet). Turpan is the city with the lowest elevation in China.
Occupying an area of just over 6,000 square miles, Turpan City Prefecture is located to the southeast of Urumqi, the capital city of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The city belongs to Turpan Region together with Shanshan County and Tuokexun County. It has a population of 250,000, made up of 21 different nationalities. Among these the Uygurs account for over 70% of the total number.
The city, which is also known as Huo Zhou (a place as hot as fire), is the hottest place in China. The annual average temperature is 14C (57.2F). It is reckoned that there are 152 summer days on average, and 28 really broiling days with the temperature above 40C (104F). Although the high temperature can be oppressive people can also get some benefits from it. The abundant sunshine gives the melons and grapes ideal conditions to grow. The fruit here is widely known for its high sugar content, especially the grapes. The place is praised as the 'Hometown of Grapes' and the Grape Valley is a good place to enjoy the grapes of hundreds of varieties.
Aydingkol Lake, at the bottom of Turpan Basin, is the lowest point in the country of China (and third lowest in the world, after USA's Death Valley and the Dead Sea), and we saw this lake from a modest highway rest stop.
Donkey Carts: Apparently the donkey carts that we rode out in the desert as we visited the ancient mosque site are also used as taxis in the city, though I didn't witness this. They seemed quite unsafe to us out on the rough trail in the desert, but perhaps they'd be OK in the city.
The Karez Canals were a fascinating point on our tour of Turpan.
Karez systems are the crystallization of ancient people's diligence and intelligence. At its peak, this irrigation system exceeded 5,000 km (3,106 miles) and was also referred to as 'the underground Great Wall'. It is among the three ancient major irrigation projects with the other two being Ling Canal and Dujiangyan Irrigation Project.
Karez systems are the life source of Turpan. In a sense, without them, there would be no Turpan culture. According to records, the history of the karez in Xinjiang dates back to 103 B.C. Karezes have been found in Iran, the Sahara, etc., but the ones in Turpan are the most complete. Currently there are still over 400 systems.
Karez are very delicate irrigation systems made up of vertical wells, underground canals, above-ground canals and small reservoirs. Generally, a karez is 3 km (1.9 miles) with the longest being 20 to 30 km (12-19 miles) with several dozen vertical wells. Sometimes the number of vertical wells exceeds 300. Until today, the shortest karez found is only 30 meters (98 feet) long. The vertical wells are for ventilation, digging and maintenance of the karez. The bottoms of all the vertical wells are connected so that water can pass through. The underground canal is about 2 meters (6.5 feet) high and covered with earth to resist the heat. The surface canals, connected to the underground ones, are not more than 1 meter (3.2 feet) wide with trees planted on both sides to prevent evaporation.
Melting snow from the Tianshan Mountain is the water source of the karez. Water is collected by vertical wells and conducted by the underground canals to the oasis, where the water is held in the ground canals for irrigation. The vertical wells near the water source may be 100 meters (328 feet) deep while further downstream they are less than 10 meters (32.8 feet) deep.
Occupying an area of just over 6,000 square miles, Turpan City Prefecture is located to the southeast of Urumqi, the capital city of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The city belongs to Turpan Region together with Shanshan County and Tuokexun County. It has a population of 250,000, made up of 21 different nationalities. Among these the Uygurs account for over 70% of the total number.
The city, which is also known as Huo Zhou (a place as hot as fire), is the hottest place in China. The annual average temperature is 14C (57.2F). It is reckoned that there are 152 summer days on average, and 28 really broiling days with the temperature above 40C (104F). Although the high temperature can be oppressive people can also get some benefits from it. The abundant sunshine gives the melons and grapes ideal conditions to grow. The fruit here is widely known for its high sugar content, especially the grapes. The place is praised as the 'Hometown of Grapes' and the Grape Valley is a good place to enjoy the grapes of hundreds of varieties.
Aydingkol Lake, at the bottom of Turpan Basin, is the lowest point in the country of China (and third lowest in the world, after USA's Death Valley and the Dead Sea), and we saw this lake from a modest highway rest stop.
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| The white strip in the distance is the lake. This is the tourist view of the salt lake. The lack of amenities, and the stack of used tires, paints the tourism scene! |
(Some text courtesy of this tourism site.)
Donkey Carts: Apparently the donkey carts that we rode out in the desert as we visited the ancient mosque site are also used as taxis in the city, though I didn't witness this. They seemed quite unsafe to us out on the rough trail in the desert, but perhaps they'd be OK in the city.
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| The ancient mosque in the desert. |
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| The infamous Donkey Cart. Now picture this on deeply rutted road, with 10 people aboard.. |
The Karez Canals were a fascinating point on our tour of Turpan.
Karez systems are the crystallization of ancient people's diligence and intelligence. At its peak, this irrigation system exceeded 5,000 km (3,106 miles) and was also referred to as 'the underground Great Wall'. It is among the three ancient major irrigation projects with the other two being Ling Canal and Dujiangyan Irrigation Project.
Karez systems are the life source of Turpan. In a sense, without them, there would be no Turpan culture. According to records, the history of the karez in Xinjiang dates back to 103 B.C. Karezes have been found in Iran, the Sahara, etc., but the ones in Turpan are the most complete. Currently there are still over 400 systems.
Karez are very delicate irrigation systems made up of vertical wells, underground canals, above-ground canals and small reservoirs. Generally, a karez is 3 km (1.9 miles) with the longest being 20 to 30 km (12-19 miles) with several dozen vertical wells. Sometimes the number of vertical wells exceeds 300. Until today, the shortest karez found is only 30 meters (98 feet) long. The vertical wells are for ventilation, digging and maintenance of the karez. The bottoms of all the vertical wells are connected so that water can pass through. The underground canal is about 2 meters (6.5 feet) high and covered with earth to resist the heat. The surface canals, connected to the underground ones, are not more than 1 meter (3.2 feet) wide with trees planted on both sides to prevent evaporation.
Melting snow from the Tianshan Mountain is the water source of the karez. Water is collected by vertical wells and conducted by the underground canals to the oasis, where the water is held in the ground canals for irrigation. The vertical wells near the water source may be 100 meters (328 feet) deep while further downstream they are less than 10 meters (32.8 feet) deep.
A karez reduces evaporation, avoids getting polluted and needs no other power equipment; it runs from high to low ground owing to gravity alone. Turban is the hottest place in China and the arid climate makes water all the more precious. A karez system helps to ideally solve this problem.
The Karez also functions as the natural air conditioner for the locals because they can sit in one while chatting or doing some chores. When exhausted during the scorching weather, sit in a karez, pick some grapes as they hang over the vertical wells and savour their taste, you will be thoroughly refreshed!
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