OASIS OF TURPAN/INSTRUMENTAL

AUTHOR: TUPY BARJUD
Turpan (traditional Chinese: 吐魯番, simplified Chinese: 吐鲁番, pinyin: Tǔlǔfān), also known as Turfan or Tulufan, is a city-county oasis in Xinjiang province, China. The city is situated in one of the terrestrial variants of the Silk Road and to the north of the Turpan Depression, which is one of the few places on Planet Earth below sea level, and therefore characterized as an absolute depression.

At the site there is a peculiar underground irrigation system, which uses wells interconnected by tunnels that provide irrigation in the desert areas. This method of irrigation was diffused in Xinjiang during the time of the Han Dynasty. The wells collect the running water of molten snow and are interconnected so that the bottom of a well is connected with another well excavated on a lower ground. Most of these irrigation tunnels extend for about 3 km, but some are up to 30 km in length. There are about 1,100 such wells in the Hami region and the Turpan Depression. Currently, the total length of these underground irrigation tunnels in the Xinjiang region is estimated at 3,000 km. This is an engineering feat comparable to the Great Wall and Grand Canal. The planting of grapes in the region is only possible due to the existence of these wells.

Two thousand years ago, the city of Jiaohe was built, ten kilometers west of Turpan. Jiaohe was the capital of the Cheshi Kingdom. During the first century, Jiaohe became the domain of the Han Dynasty. During the 6th century, Turpan was under the rule of the Gaochang Kingdom, when it was taken by the Tang Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Tai Zong (626-649), and Turpan was once again a border town of China, serving as a point of support for merchants, monks and other travelers on their way to the west.

50 km northeast of Turpan are located the Thousand Buddha Caves of Bozkrik, which are the most known caves of Xinjiang. Built during the end of the time of the Two Dynasties (420-581), there are fifty-seven caves, known mainly for their murals, which still keep their colors fresh and lively. The paintings are mostly inspired by Buddhist tales, but also reflect the close relationships that existed between the Uighurs, and Hans and Mongols. It is evident the influence of western regions of Xinjiang and Central Asia in the artistic style of these murals.

40 km north of Turpan, are located the Buddha Caves of Shengjinkou, which are a set consisting of ten clay brick caves, where there was a Buddhist temple in the period between the sixth and fourteenth centuries, built at the time of the Tang Dynasty. The murals on the walls of these caves portray lotus flowers with cloud patterns, a solitary crown on dry tree branches, grape-laden vines, rows of willow trees, and Buddhist portraits. Most paintings are accompanied by annotations in the Urgur language. There, too, Buddhist scriptures were discovered in Sanskrit and Han languages, as well as Tang Dynasty coins.

During the reign of Qian Long (1736-1795