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The Ancient Fair City -Jiaohe and Gaochang
Jiaohe Ruins
During the Han dynasty, Jiaohe was established by the Chinese as a garrison town to depend the borderlands. The city was decimated by Genghis Khan’s ‘travelling road show’ and there’s little left to see. The buildings are rather more obvious than the ruins of Gaochang though, and you can walk through the old streets and along the roads. A main road cuts through the city, and at the end is a large monastery with figures of Buddha still visible. The ruins are around 7km to 8km west of Turpan and stand on an island bound by two small rivers-thus the name Jiaohe, which means ‘confluence of two rivers’.
Gaochang Ruins
About 46km east of Turpan are the ruins of Gaochang, the capital of the Uyghurs when they moved into the Xinjiang region from Mongolia in the 9th century. The town was founded in the 7th century during the Tang dynasty and became a major staging post on the Silk Road. The walls of the city are clearly visible. The stood as thick as 12m, formed a rough square with a perimeter of 6km, and were surrounded by a moat. Gaochang was divided into an outer city, an inner city within the walls, and a palace and government compound. A large monastery in the south-western part of the city is in reasonable condition, with some of its rooms, corridors and door-ways still preserved |
