Today, Turpan is a largely Uigur-populated area, and, in Chinese terms, an
obscure backwater, but it has not always been so. As early as the Han dynasty,
the Turpan oasis was a crucial point along the Northern Silk Road, and the
cities of Jiaohe, and later Gaochang (both of whose ruins can be visited from
Turpan), were important and wealthy centres of power. On his way to India
Xuanzang spent more time than he had planned here, when the king virtual-
ly kidnapped him in order to have him preach to his subjects. This same king
later turned his hand to robbing Silk Road traffic, and had his kingdom
annexed by China in 640 as a result. From the ninth to the thirteenth centu-
ry, a rich intellectual and artistic culture developed in Gaochang, resulting fi’om
a fusion between the original Indo-European inhabitants and the (pre-Islamic
Uigurs. It was not until the fourteenth century that the Uigurs of Turpan con-
verted to Islam.
The town is located in a depression 80m below sea level, which accounts
for its extreme climate - well above 40℃ in summer (reputedly the hottest
in China), well below freezing in winter. In summer the dry heat is so sop-
orific that there is little call to do anything but sleep or sip cool drinks in
outdoor cafe’s with other tourists. This may not be what you came to China
for, but quite a lot of people appreciate it by the time they reach Turpan. To
ease the consciences of the indolents, there are in addition a number of
ruined cities and Buddhist caves in the countryside around the city, tes-
timony to its past role as an important oasis on the Silk Road. Turpan is also
an agricultural oasis, famed above all for grapes. Today, virtually every
household in the town has a hand in the grape business, both in cultivating
the vines, and in drying the grapes at the end of the season. Every house has
its own ventilated brick barn, usually on the roof, the best spot for catching
the hot desiccating winds that sweep through the area. Bear in mind that
Turpan is very much a summer resort; if you come out of season
(Nov-March), the town itself is cold and uninspiring, with the vines cut back
and most businesses closed- though surrounding sights remain interesting,
and devoid of other tourists.

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