Turfan’s history dates back to the 2nd century BC. Historically, it has become an important center on the Silk Road with its prosperous economy and developed culture. The ancient ruins were included on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014 thanks to the efforts of the Xinjiang Cultural Relics Bureau.
We are moving on to Turfan from Urumqi. This “oasis city”, called “Turpan” in Uyghur and “Tulufan” (吐鲁番) in Chinese, is located in the central part of China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Authorities tell us that the city is not just a modern city but an ancient city with a rich historical and cultural heritage.
Turfan’s history dates back to the 2nd century BC. From the past to the present, Turfan has been the capital of the Koçu State during the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC – 25 AD) and the Karaşehir State during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 BC) and many other kingdoms.
We learn that during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 BC), Turfan became an important center on the Silk Road route with its prosperous economy and developed culture.
JIAOHE ANCIENT CITY
After listening to the city’s two thousand-year history, our first stop is the Jiaohe (ciaohı) Ruins. The name Jiaohe (交河) means “river junction” in Chinese. The ancient city is on a leaf-shaped plateau between two deep river valleys, a natural castle on top of a cliff.
The famous British archaeologist Aurel Stein claimed that the other name of this Ancient City, “Yarkoto”, is a combination of Turkish and Mongolian, derived from the words yar (Old Turkish for “valley”) and khoto (Mongolian for “town”).
The ruins are made of loess soil, and especially when walking around the open-air museum, one should not step on the soil. The soil is quite sensitive. As soon as we entered the region, as the Aydınlık delegation, we shared that we felt “we were in a place that resembled Cappadocia.”
Cappadocia is the apple of the Chinese eye, hosting tens of thousands of Chinese tourists every year. We also mentioned the similarity to our Chinese friends, and a local journalist said, “Unfortunately, there are no beautiful hot air balloons like in Cappadocia here.”
We continue to visit the Jiaohe ruins. We hear from our guide that the Uyghur Khaganate dominated the region from the beginning of the 9th century and was conquered by the Kyrgyz shortly after in 840.
The city is built on a large island (1650 meters long, 300 meters wide at its widest point) in the middle of a river that provides natural defense.
This explains why the city lacks any defensive walls. Instead, the authorities state that cliffs above 30 meters on all river sides are natural walls.
The city’s layout includes eastern and western residential areas, while northern areas are reserved for Buddhist temples. In addition, there are significant cemeteries and the ruins of a large government office in the southeast. According to Tang Dynasty records, it had a population of 7,000 people.
Finally, after it was destroyed during the Mongol invasion led by Genghis Khan in the 13th century, the city became an abandoned structure.
The Ancient Ruins, which have been granted protection status by the People’s Republic of China since 1961, found a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014 thanks to the efforts of the Xinjiang Cultural Relics Bureau.
THE LIFE WATER OF THE SILK ROAD CARAVANS: KARIZ WATER CHANNELS
After Yarkoto or Jiaohe Ancient Ruins, our next stop is the famous “Turfan Kariz”. Turfan’s well system, created with these vertical tunnel systems, is of critical importance in Turfan’s development as an important oasis on the ancient Silk Road that crosses the barren and wild Taklamakan Desert. Authorities inform us that “Turfan owes its prosperity to the water provided by the Kariz well system.”
Built by the local people approximately 2,000 years ago, these water channels ensure that caravan convoys coming or going to the region via the Silk Road meet their water needs because they have the Taklamakan Desert, China’s largest desert, to cross…
We learn that the Kariz water channels consist of a series of vertically dug wells connected by horizontal underground water channels to collect water from the surface flow of the water basin at the base of the Tian Shan Mountains and the nearby Yanan Mountains.
Our Chinese guide tells us there are nearly 1200 water channels over 5 thousand km. We repeatedly hear the importance of water in humanity’s thousands of years of civilization. Wells are mostly opened and protected by the master-apprentice relationship from ancestors to their grandchildren by transferring experience.
This article is retrieved from the website of Aydınlık Newspaper.
Source: https://www.aydinlik.com.tr/haber/antik-ipek-yolunun-hayat-agaci-turfanin-antik-kentleri-ve-sulari-cinin-sinciang-uygur-ozerk-bolgesinin-orta-kesiminde-yer-alana-turfan-nasil-bir-sehir-500877
