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 To the northwest of the Gaochang Ruins lie the Astana Graves (Asitana Gumuqun), where the dead of Gaochang were buried. The ancient tombs are clearly zoned according to families and castes with natural stones. The burial area is large and stretches 5 km from east to west and 2 km... |
| Aydingkol Lake |
 Aydingkol Lake (Aiding Hu in Chinese) gets its name from the Uigur word for the moon. The name is inspired by the glitter that this evaporating, muddy lake's salt deposit gives off under the Turpan sun. This lake is the lowest lake in China and the second lowest lake in the world ... |
| Baizeklik Thousand Buddha Caves |
 The Baizeklik Thousand Buddha Caves are on the northwestern side of the Flaming Mountains facing a river valley, and are only 15km north of the ancient Gaochang City and 45km east of Turpan. These caves are one of the largest Buddhist "grotto"sites in Xinjiang... |
| Emin Minaret |
 The Emin Minaret (Emin Ta), just 2km east of Turpan, is both a mosque and minaret tower that was built in 1778 by the local muslim ruler, Emin Hoja. Also known as Sugong Tower (Sugong Ta) after Emin's Chinese name, the minaret was built in a simple Islamic style... |
| Flaming Mountains |
 The Flaming Mountains (Huo Yan Shan), are so named because in the evenings the red clay mountains reflect the heat and glow of the desert and seem to burn.¡¡Situated on the northern edge of the Turpan basin, and stretching over 100 km long and 10km wide, this is an intensely hot part... |
| Gaochang Ruins |
 East of Turpan are the ruins of Gaochang (Gaochang Gucheng), the Uigur city-state that ruled the area from around the 9th century to the 13th. The city was actually founded a few hundred years earlier than that, and gradually became known as a trading post... |
| Grape Valley |
 Grape Valley (Putao gou) is located close to the Flaming Mountains. The area around Turpan is known for its wealth of fruit orchards and vineyards and in the late summer, the grapes are ripe and this is a wonderful time to visit the valley... |
| Jiaohe Ruins |
 The ancient, ruined city of Jiaohe (Jiaohe gucheng) stands isolated on a 30-meter-high plateau in the Ya'ernaizi Valley, 10 kilometers east of Turpan. The city is situated on an island between two rivers and the name for the area means "the confluence of two rivers"... |
| Karez Channels |
 Along with the Great Wall and the Grand Canal, the Karez underground irrigation channel in Turpan is one of China's three greatest feats of ancient engineering. Construction began on this ancient irrigation system during the Han Dynasty and as the Silk Road developed...
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