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Turpan
~ The Grape Oasis of Gobi Desert
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Basic Facts: |
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 Turpan lies in the
Turpan Depression, 154km
below the sea level and
surrounded by desert, and
mountains, ruined cities and
Buddhist caves. Turpan was
an important centre of
commerce and culture on the
Silk Road. With a population
of 70% Uyghur and 30% of
other ethnicities, Turpan
maintains the Silk Road's
romantic identity as a
cultural crossroads. Because
the Uyhur are Muslims,
Turpan has many interesting
mosques. Turpan also has
many tourist attractions,
including the 18th century
Emin Minaret, Gaochang
Ruins, Astana Graves,
Flaming Mountain, the
Bezeklik Thousand Buddha
Caves and the Karez
Irrigation Site.
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Climate: (Degrees Centigrade) |
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Temperature |
-5 |
-3 |
9 |
20 |
25 |
32 |
33 |
32 |
26 |
14 |
3 |
-4 |
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Highlights:
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Gaochang Ruins |
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Gaochang
Ruins are located 46km east of Turpan,
was once a town of strategic importance
on the Silk Road. Gaochang was the
capital of a local ruler of Tang Dynasty
in 7th century and was deserted during
the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Visitors
can walk or hire a donkey carts around
the ruins to ponder the past... |
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The Flaming Mountain |
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The Flaming Mountain is located
east to Turpan and comprised of red
sandstones and mudstones. The mountain
became famous for an ancient Chinese
classic novel-Journey to the West. These
red rocks on the crisscross gullies and
ravines reflected the sunshine as if the
hillside were engulfed by the fire..... |
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The Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves |
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The Bezeklik Thousand Buddha
Caves, located in Bay County, consist of
236 grottoes. Many Buddhism Silk Road
travellers stopped here to pray for a
successfully journey in the past. The
caves have a total of 10,000 square
metres well-preserved murals and the
murals have great value for artist
research... |
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The Karez System |
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The
Karez System is the site the locals are
most proud of, it is a unique irrigation
system comprised of wells, under ground
channels, and dams. The system was
developed some 2,000 years ago, bring
the snowmelt waters of the Mount Tian
Shan to Turpan through a series of wells
dug into underground water channels. As
a unique underground water-conservancy
project, it is vital to the survival of
oasis villages... |
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SilK Road Tours |
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