Jiaohe Ancient City

Jiaohe Ancient City is the largest, oldest and best-preserved adobe city in the world. It is also the most complete urban relic in my country that has been preserved for more than 2,000 years. The Anxi Protectorate, the highest military and political institution in the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty, was first established in Jiaohe Ancient City. In 1961, it was listed as a key cultural relic protection site at the national level.

On June 22, 2014, at the 38th UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting held in Doha, Qatar, Jiaohe Ancient City was successfully included in the World Heritage List as a site of the "Silk Road: Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor Road Network" jointly applied for by China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

Jiaohe Ancient City is a large area of earthen building ruins. It was built in the 2nd century BC. The whole city was built on an island-like highland 30 meters high, surrounded by river valleys on both sides. It is currently the largest and most well-preserved earthen building site in the country. This giant sculpture from more than 2,000 years ago has now been weathered into various interesting shapes. Tourists take pictures in groups of three or two, and sometimes there are guides' introductions in between. The busy Silk Road trade town 2,000 years ago has now become a photo base for people to take pictures. In the peak season (April to the end of October), there is a tourist bus for 20 yuan. In the off-season, take bus No. 1 or No. 101 to Yaer Township, transfer to a minibus (2 yuan/person), tricycle (3 yuan/person), taxi (15 yuan/car), or horse carriage (20 yuan/car) to Jiaohe Ancient City. Or you can charter a car or take a taxi directly from Turpan, which is 11km away from the city center, 30 yuan/car, 40 yuan/person, and half price for student ID cards. It is worth a visit

The thousand-year-old Silk Road fortress finally became a masterpiece.

In the desert Gobi, the wind and clouds are drifting.

The ruins of Jiaohe City are barren,

It is so desolate and lonely that even the flying birds are frightened.

Workshops, government offices, ancient pagodas, Buddhist temples, military camps and residential houses,

The traces became blurred in the vast years.

A sculpture was formed in the wind and sand of thousands of years:

Jiaohe Ancient City is located 10 kilometers west of Turpan City. It is located on a huge loess platform with a height of 30 meters. It is surrounded by water from east to west and is a small island in the middle of the river. Because the river water flows around the city, it is called Jiaohe. Jiaohe Ancient City is not built with bricks, tiles, earth and stones like ordinary cities. Instead, it is a city that was dug out inch by inch by the ancestors of Jiaohe on a loess platform with gullies. More than 2,000 years have turned it into a ruin. Now Jiaohe Ancient City is desolate and has been empty for thousands of years. Broken castles, residential courtyards dug out of raw earth, temples, government offices, and pagodas are lined up in rows, which is magnificent. Looking at the desolate ancient city and recalling the past, people are filled with emotion.

When you come here, you must listen to the guide's explanation: Anxi Protectorate, the highest military and political institution in the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty, was located here. The building was underground and used wells for cooling. There was a slight breeze in the courtyard under the sun. During the archaeological protection of the ancient city, thirteen mummified infant bodies were excavated on one side of the central square between the residential area and the burial area. Some people speculated that this might be a form of sacrifice, while others speculated that it might be caused by the epidemic at the time, but the real reason is still a mystery. I thought I could finish visiting Jiaohe Ancient City in one hour, but it took me three hours.

There are many ancient cities in Turpan. I finally chose Jiaohe Ancient City because I saw the willow-leaf-shaped main city of Jiaohe Ancient City shot from the air in CCTV5's "Aerial China". I was curious about its history and what kind of people lived here thousands of years ago.

Jiaohe Ancient City is not far from Turpan city, and can be reached by driving 10 km from the city.

Jiaohe Ancient City is the largest earthen building complex in the world. It is called "Ancient City" because no one lives here anymore, so it is different from an ancient city.

The tour guide we invited also had a story to tell, and we all agreed that this was the most heartfelt explanation we had ever heard. He even asked questions halfway through the explanation, but everyone looked at each other in bewilderment as no one could answer.

The teacher was angry! "You're giving me back everything I just taught you?"

The scene was very embarrassing for a while...

The ancient city closes at 10 o'clock. When we went out, it was almost 10 o'clock and there were still tourists entering, but it was getting dark at that time. It is recommended to buy a shuttle bus to visit Jiaohe Ancient City. It is more troublesome to walk by yourself, but the shuttle bus will not stop at many points in Lover's Valley.

After entering the Lover's Valley, the shuttle bus will stop under an observation tower. After climbing the tower, you can overlook the ancient village and tombs in Goubei.

Finally, the shuttle bus will take tourists to Jiaohe Ancient City, the real ruins area.

I view Jiaohe Ancient City only as a landscape - its decadent color, mottled sense of age, and open view make it ideal for strolling around after dusk.

I found that many domestic tourists started complaining about the gray ruins after taking a few glances!

I am very interested in all the art that time has given me, but due to the limitations of my own knowledge, I am not good at expressing my views and thoughts in this regard.

Jiaohe Ancient City is an architectural miracle with a unique construction method, but in fact, the ruins are really not something that ordinary people can understand~~

The tickets for the whole Jiaohe are divided into Jiaohe Ancient City; Jiaohe Ancient Village;

In other words, you can’t visit all of them with one ticket.

Since we only have a limited knowledge of the ancient sites, we only went to Jiaohe Ancient City. The shuttle bus will stop at two gates. Once we reach the gate of the scenic area, we can climb the mountain tower and tour the city.

The ancient city is actually quite large, but not long after I started, my camera's memory card suddenly broke down, causing me to completely lose interest in the tour.

[Jiaohe Ancient City] is located on an island platform 13 kilometers west of Turpan City.

It is about 1,650 meters long, narrow at both ends and about 300 meters wide at its widest point in the middle. Looking down from the air, it looks like a willow-leaf-shaped peninsula.

Because the river water splits and flows around the city, it is called Jiaohe.



Jiaohe Ancient City was originally the capital of the "Cheshi Former Kingdom", one of the 36 kingdoms in the Western Regions.

It is the political, economic, military and cultural center of the country.

It is the largest, oldest and best-preserved adobe city in the world.

It is also the most complete urban relic preserved in my country for more than 2,000 years.

Jiaohe Ancient City is a city dug out from the ground on a loess terrace with gullies and ravines. The streets are narrow and deep, like winding trenches. Is this unique architecture to defend against foreign invasion? Or to withstand the scorching heat of summer? It leaves us with an eternal mystery. "No birds fly around Jiaohe City, and the horseshoes slip on the road of Luntai." The prosperity of the past has passed, and now this desolate ruin is left, full of devastation. It is a place of hundreds of battles and a witness to the vicissitudes of life. Everything in the world is like a fallen leaf in the long river of history. No matter how prosperous it was, it cannot withstand the grinding of time.

Jiaohe Ancient City is the largest, oldest and best-preserved earthen city in the world, and is also the most complete urban relic in my country that has been preserved for more than 2,000 years. It was originally the capital of the "Cheshi Former State", one of the 36 states in the Western Regions. In addition to the lack of city walls, the biggest feature of the architectural style here is that most of the buildings in the entire city, regardless of size, are basically built using the method of "reducing the ground and leaving the wall", that is, digging from the surface of the towering terrace. The ancient city is about 1,750 meters long from north to south and about 300 meters wide from east to west. It is divided into temples, residential buildings, government offices and other parts, and is well preserved. It is located on the ancient Silk Road. The Silk Road was a major transportation artery for silk trade and cultural exchanges between the ancient Eurasian continent from the 2nd century BC to the 16th century AD. It is the largest cultural route in ancient times, starting from Luoyang and heading west for 10,000 kilometers through Central Asia to the Mediterranean.

Today we visited the Jiaohe Ancient City, which was quite shocking to everyone. We have a deeper understanding of the history of the Western Regions.

Will you come to visit Jiaohe Ancient City one day?

Jiaohe Ancient City is in the middle of the river, more like a small island, but the island is not small, there is a city, and the river water forms a natural moat. Jiaohe Ancient City was founded and built by the Cheshi people from the 2nd to the 5th century BC. It reached its peak during the Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Tang Dynasty. From the 9th to the 14th century, due to its important strategic location, Jiaohe City gradually declined due to years of war. During the Chagatai period at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, there were years of war in the Turpan area. Jiaohe City was severely damaged and finally abandoned. Now only the earthen city wall remains of the ruins.

Jiaohe Ancient City is a huge earthen city ruins, the best preserved earthen city in the world. It is a long and narrow earthen platform. The Anxi Protectorate of the Tang Dynasty was first established here. Of course, I didn't know there was such a place before I came here. I only knew it was an important town on the Silk Road after reading historical stories. However, after walking along the trail, facing the unrecognizable stone and earthen wall ruins, I couldn't see why and it was hard to empathize.

The visitor center is also a small museum, and the light is a bit dim. The aerial photo of Jiaohe Ancient City looks like a big willow leaf. Jiaohe Ancient City was founded and built by the Cheshi people from the 2nd to the 5th century BC. It was called Jiaohe because two rivers intersected and flowed around the city. It reached its peak in the Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Tang Dynasty. It is the largest, oldest and best-preserved earthen city in the world. It is also the most complete urban relic preserved in my country for more than 2,000 years. The Anxi Protectorate, the highest military and political institution in the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty, was first located in Jiaohe Ancient City. There is a poem in the Tang Dynasty, "Ancient Military March": "Climbing the mountain in the daytime to watch the beacon fire, and drinking water beside Jiaohe at dusk.

Thanks to the comments of other bee friends, I came here. It is really beautiful. You must listen to the explanation of the guide. When you leave the main road and walk deeper, you will feel like traveling through time and space. I left in a hurry due to special reasons. If I can go to Jiaohe Ancient City, I would like to walk there again and find the remaining murals in the ancient pagoda and Buddhist temple...

This important town on the Silk Road was also the seat of the Anxi Protectorate of the Tang Dynasty. The most amazing thing is that this city was dug out. Although it has been in ruins for thousands of years, you can still imagine its prosperity in the past.

Jiaohe Ancient City is the world's largest, oldest and best-preserved adobe city, and the most complete urban relic in my country that has been preserved for more than 2,000 years. The Anxi Protectorate, the highest military and political institution in the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty, was first established in Jiaohe Ancient City. It was not built brick by brick as is customary for building a city, but was carved out inch by inch by the ancestors of Jiaohe on a loess terrace with ravines and gullies in the west of the Turpan Basin. It is a magnificent work of collective carving by the ancestors.

Jiaohe Ancient City was abandoned in the Yuan Dynasty, more than 700 years ago, and the ruins of the ancient city are the size of the Tang Dynasty. Facing the desolation of a thousand-year-old city-state, one cannot help but sigh at the brevity of life and the permanence of buildings, and everything will eventually return to the sand.

Walking in the ancient city of Jiaohe, you have to marvel at the wisdom of the ancients, the hollowed-out architectural model, and the natural barrier bounded by the river.



Imagine the prosperity of the past among the ruins.

If you are not interested in ancient history, don't go there, you won't see anything to it.

You need an explanation to understand it, otherwise it's meaningless to watch the earthen platform

With reverence for history and listening to the professional explanation of the tour guide, this is a very sad and amazing place.

Although the traces of history are only yellow earth, you can still feel the grandeur and splendor of the time. The sunset adds a little more feeling.

This is the most complete "ruin" we have ever seen in the world. If you want to take good photos, you must visit it at a good time~

Jiaohe Ancient City is the largest, oldest and best-preserved adobe city in the world. It is also the most complete urban relic in my country that has been preserved for more than 2,000 years. The Anxi Protectorate, the highest military and political institution in the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty, was first established in Jiaohe Ancient City. In 1961, it was listed as a key cultural relic protection site at the national level.

If you don’t have a certain understanding of the history of that time, the whole tour may feel boring. Desert, ruins, earthen walls, no greenery and vitality.

It is truly a miracle that a building made entirely of earth has been preserved to this day.

Natural scenery can bring people a natural sense of pleasure, but visiting historical sites can easily trigger some sadness deep in people's hearts. Standing on the yellow earth with broken walls and ruins, closing your eyes, it seems as if high-rise buildings have been rebuilt, and you have traveled back to the prosperous streets and alleys, with bustling crowds of people walking through this crowded city, some eating and drinking, some working for a living, and some selling smiles and singing... Open your eyes, and you will still see yellow earth everywhere.

The old city still has green waters on both sides, but the ancient city has long lost the invincible momentum of the Cheshi Kingdom, which was easy to defend and difficult to attack. The broken walls, withered weeds and piles of bones buried in the soil have silently frozen all this in the time and space under the blue sky and white clouds and the bright moon and starry sky of the frontier...

The visual effect of the scenic spot is very shocking, and it takes about an hour and a half to complete a tour.

When we went there, we thought we could hire a tour guide. I don't know if it was because there were fewer people in the off-season, but we didn't see any tour guide. The three of us looked at the entire scenery with confusion on our faces. Although we didn't understand it, looking at these ancient places, we could imagine how prosperous the ancient city of Jiaohe was back then.

There are shuttle buses available in the scenic area.

Jiaohe is very beautiful at sunset. The sunset glow coupled with this ancient city seems to show us its former glory, honor and prosperity.

Inhumane price. The key is that the electronic explanation only explains Jiaohe Ancient Village and the outer circle. There is no explanation in the ancient city, which is really useless. In addition, the ancient village is actually a copycat modern antique building, similar to the kind of folk house museum. I didn't pay attention when I bought the ticket, and the ticket was printed out all at once. It was a bit of a forced sale. In short, this scenic spot doesn't give people a very good feeling. The shape of the visitor center at the entrance is a man-made earth cliff, but there is actually a building hidden behind it. The visitor center has historical summaries, ticket centers, restaurants and other facilities. After leaving the visitor center, you can take the shuttle bus to the ancient city. The tour route is to pass through the ancient village first, then go to the west of the city where there is a viewing platform, then go around the city to the South Gate parking lot and walk into the city for a visit. It is better to hire a tour guide for such attractions in the future.

If you don't take the shuttle bus, you can't visit it, and you can't understand it without a guide. The garrison, commercial street, and residential area are all broken bridges and ruins. There is still no bus back to Turpan city, so you have to share a car. The location of Jiaohe Ancient City is very good, surrounded by cliffs and rivers, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

From Jiaohe Ancient City, it was 14 yuan cheaper to take a taxi and return to the city using the meter than taking the bus.

There is no shade above Jiaohe Ancient City, and we were still scorched by the sun even though we entered at around 9 o'clock. However, the tour guide said calmly: "Jiaohe Ancient City is the second hottest place in Turpan. It's only over 40 degrees now, and it will be even hotter later!"

It is known as the most perfect ruins in the world. It played an important role in the Western Han Dynasty. Countless literati and poets wrote poems and nostalgic poems here. Now, only the ruins of the former prosperity are left here, which makes people sigh. Tips: Please be sure to buy a zone ticket.

The Ancient City of Jiaohe has been successfully included in my list of places where you would regret not visiting, but would not necessarily regret visiting. Lacking professional knowledge, we may only be able to feel its vicissitudes and shocking moments, but we cannot explain why it is so shocking.

Walking in the ruins of Jiaohe ancient city, it seems that you can still feel the former prosperity of the ancient city... Jiaohe used to be lush with water and grass, and it was prosperous, but it disappeared in the long river of history.

The reason why we chose to go to Jiaohe Ancient City is that Jiaohe has a longer history than Gaochang.

There is actually not much to see in Jiaohe Ancient City, as the original buildings have been destroyed. The main thing is to understand its history, so it is particularly important to find a tour guide. Remember, you must find a local one. On the way, you will see many tour guides from travel companies holding microphones and explaining. They can be seen memorizing them. Once you ask them some questions related to ethnicity and religion, they will probably be exposed... The local tour guide was different. After explaining the history of Jiaohe to us, we asked him questions about religion, ethnicity, war, belief, language and a series of other things. There was nothing he didn't know. We talked for more than an hour. This was the most enjoyable experience I have ever had in the historical sites I have visited.

A place full of history, it was once glorious, but finally became an abandoned city due to years of war. If conditions permit, you can hire a guide, or rent a guide device, which can help you better understand the ancient city of Jiaohe. When the sun sets, walking in the remaining alleys and dilapidated corners, you can better feel the vicissitudes of life.

The entrance fee to the scenic spot is 70 yuan, and the shuttle bus is 25 yuan. I didn't buy the shuttle bus, and I only walked 3-4 kilometers.

A promotional video of Jiaohe Ancient City will be played in the ticket hall, and it is recommended to watch it first.

The best time to visit the ancient city is at dusk, when you can better appreciate the mood of the ancients who "drank their horses at dusk beside the Jiaohe River". But if you go during the day, you must protect yourself from the sun.

The ancient city is well preserved and the historical relics are worth seeing. But apart from that, there is nothing else worth seeing. The shuttle bus only stops at two points. They are all the same. There are not many shocking relics. The ticket + shuttle bus is 95 yuan, which is not worth it.

This is a relatively fun attraction on this day. This scenic spot looks very similar to the Devil City, but the reasons for their formation are different. Jiaohe Ancient City was formed by man-made and natural means, while the Devil City was formed completely by nature.

From the perspective of aerial photography, it is really spectacular. Before departure, I saw someone fly into Jiaohe Ancient City from outside to take aerial photos without buying a ticket. As a result, the small plane was confiscated and a fine of several thousand was paid. I would like to remind you of this.

People who like it will love it, but some people think it is just a pile of dirt and nothing to see. So when visiting this kind of cultural attraction, you will feel more touched if you know the relevant history in advance. At least I think this attraction is worth the trip.

There is no shelter in Jiaohe Ancient City, so it will be very sunny. You should take sunscreen in advance. It is best to come in the early morning or evening when it is cooler and the light is more moderate.

After we took the scenic bus of Jiaohe Ancient City and circled the ancient city for most of the way, we found a wooden tower on the side of the city. From there, we could go up to the top of the hill outside the ancient city and look at the ancient city from a high place outside.

On the hillside, my companion's sister launched a drone and flew over the ancient city to overlook the entire city. When we got off the tower and returned to the shuttle bus station, a staff member rushed to the tower. We didn't know that drones were not allowed here. He went to find the pilot, but he was a step too late. Our pilot had already recovered the drone and left the tower.

Although it is an excavated ancient city, it does not conflict with the atmosphere. The Jiaohe ancient city is very large and it is shocking when you see the panoramic view.

It is called Jiaohe because two rivers once met here. If there were only broken walls and ruins, the wheel of history would crush everything.

It can be seen that the Jiaohe Ancient City has a strong sense of design. Various distinctive buildings make up the ancient city, which has a strong architectural beauty. If you like architecture, you will not be disappointed here.

There are a little more people in the scenic area than in Gaochang Ancient City, thanks to the fact that it is not far from Turpan city, the transportation is much more convenient. It is also relatively close to Grape Valley and Karez. In addition, the development here is relatively mature, and there are even several waves of tour groups coming here to visit.

What is also incredible is that in addition to the lack of city walls, the architectural style has another obvious feature, that is, most of the buildings in the entire city, regardless of size, are basically dug out from the surface of the towering platform using the method of "reducing the ground and leaving the walls".

Jiaohe Ancient City is well worth a visit, and you can extend the tour time as much as you want. Because you will see a miracle of ruins. According to the baby pits found in the ancient city, it is speculated that in order to prevent their descendants from becoming slaves of a conquered country, the residents of Jiaohe killed and buried the babies in the city. They were eventually defeated by hunger, and the Mongolian army burned down the entire city. Since Jiaohe City was all made of raw earth and Turpan was dry and rainless, the ruins have been miraculously preserved to this day. It was forgotten by history and eventually became a relic of civilization. Travelers with plenty of time can stay in Jiaohe Ancient City until sunset to feel the desolation of this once prosperous capital as the sun sets.

Wait until after 8 o'clock when it's cooler before entering the scenic area. It used to be a "super" city on the ancient Silk Road, with streets and alleys extending in all directions, houses lined up one after another, majestic palaces and Buddhist temples. As time passes, only ruins remain, but history is remembered. We strolled through the maze-like ruins under the moonlight, letting our thoughts return to the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, and imagined the prosperity and loneliness of Gaochang City in front of the pagoda! We played until 10 o'clock before being asked to leave by the cleaning guy on a motorcycle. The old city was quiet under the moonlight, nothing to be afraid of, and you can imagine the grand scene here during the Tang Dynasty!

The entire city layout is well preserved. There are five temples in the whole city. It can be seen that religion had a profound influence on the people at that time. It is said that underground temples and tombs of nobles of the Cheshi Kingdom were unearthed here, as well as sea pearls, relics and other cultural relics. After buying a ticket at the gate, you need to take a shuttle bus to the scenic spot. There will be a stop at a folk village in the middle. If you want to enter, you need to pay an additional 30 yuan. There are some introductions to local folk customs and a courtyard imitating local people. You can go or not. Finally, the shuttle bus stops at the foot of the city, and you need to walk around.

I originally expected to visit for about an hour, but I didn't expect to find it so big when I walked into the city! It would take at least 2-3 hours to complete the tour. It was 3 or 4 o'clock in the afternoon, when the sun was the hottest. There were not many tourists in the whole ancient city. Because of the high terrain, I could see the mountains far away and the blue sky without a trace of clouds. Standing quietly, I seemed to feel the history of this ancient city passing by, as if the scenery outside the city seen by people 2,000 years ago would not be very different. Every house and every trail here tells the prosperity of the past. Every time I see the ruins of a certain ancient city when I travel, I can't help but imagine what they looked like when they were at their most prosperous.

The deserted ancient city seems to be a dream trip back to the Cheshi Kingdom. . .

The car must be parked at the parking lot at the gate, and you must buy a ticket and then take the shuttle bus or walk in. The entire area of Jiaohe Ancient City is not large, and you need to visit along the prescribed route. You cannot step on the interior, and you cannot use drones to take pictures. The earthen building community of more than 2,000 years has a heavy sense of history in itself, and the ever-changing sunset adds a bit of mystery to this place. We stayed on the central viewing platform, waiting for the sunset in the wind and rain. In this unpredictable, I imagined the portrait of the Western Region community more than 2,000 years ago and enjoyed the brief sense of time and space.

Walking in the ancient city is like making the last struggle in a huge steamer, and you feel like you will be melted by the heat in the next second.

I was surprised to see such a large area of green plants growing in the dry and rainless earthen city wall. However, I couldn't remember what they were called because it was such a long time ago when I traveled there.

I only remember the shock I felt at that time, like seeing a source of clean water in the endless desert.

If you look closely, you will see thumb-sized fruits with patterns like cantaloupe and colors like watermelon.

In such scorching weather, my thoughts were flying. It would be wonderful to have an iced watermelon to quench my thirst.

There is no shelter in this huge ancient city, and a parasol is vulnerable under the scorching sun.

We are like walking alone in a desert, feeling very hopeless.

After swimming for about half an hour, the main group still wanted to move deeper, but my boyfriend and I chose to stay where we were.

The small holes on the wall of Jiaohe Ancient City aroused everyone's curiosity. It is said that these were the beams of the old house, and such marks were left after the wood was burned.

Legend has it that the remains of nearly 200 babies were excavated in the ancient city of Jiaohe, but it is unknown when and why they were buried there.

This adds a sense of mystery to this ancient city.

Although it is well preserved, it still looks a bit dilapidated.

The whole or dilapidated walls indicate that it was once a room, and the uneven ground recreates the old streets.

It was once prosperous thousands of years ago, but now it is just a pile of dirt with no grass growing on it.

In the 38-degree high temperature, there is no breath of life

Jiaohe was one of the 36 states in the Western Regions during the Tang Dynasty. The city was abandoned more than a hundred years ago, and now only its ruins remain. However, this attraction is really not suitable for summer, as it is so hot and sunny that it can make people peel.

You must have a guide here, the guide will tell you what these piles of dirt are, otherwise you will not understand at all. But even if I understood it at the time, I can't remember any of it now.

Due to time constraints, we did not visit the mausoleum and temple ruins, but just watched from a distance. I saw that they were just a little more dense than before, but I couldn't see any difference.

The shuttle bus costs 30 yuan for a round trip, and the explanation costs 150 yuan. Go up the wooden steps, climb up the Cheshi Ancient City, and see the Anxi Protectorate Office. The ancient city is quite spectacular. The visit takes 2 to 3 hours. The sense of vicissitudes and history immediately travels through time and space. There is also a Jiaohe Ancient Village in the scenic area.

It is a very distinctive, interesting and sun-filled attraction. If you don't study it from a historical perspective, there is no need to visit this attraction. But for travelers who love history and meditation, they will also reminisce the feeling of traveling through it.

It was very hot when I went there, but I didn't sweat at all. A good place to learn about Xinjiang.

This was the capital of the ancient Cheshi Kingdom in the Western Regions. It has always been an important city on the Silk Road. The seat of the Anxi Protectorate, which ruled the Western Regions in the Tang Dynasty, was also here. It was abandoned due to wars in the Yuan Dynasty and remained the same as it was 800 years ago. The extremely dry climate of Turpan has preserved the earthen buildings of this ancient city. The old city was built on a high ground between two rivers. It looks like a giant ship, and some say it looks like an aircraft carrier. The whole city is built on the "deck". This is the first time I have seen such a city. It is surrounded by steep cliffs, and under the cliffs is the river. The natural city walls and moats are very suitable for defense in wartime.

Turpan and Hami were the last areas in Xinjiang to be Islamized, so before the Yuan Dynasty abandoned it, Jiaohe was still full of Buddhist temples. The west and north sides of the city were all temples and monks' residential areas. This is the last remnant of the Silk Road Buddhist kingdoms that flourished for nearly a thousand years.

There are few tourists in the ancient city during the off-season. Before the sun sets, I am the only one in the entire ancient city, which feels very desolate. Walking in the streets and alleys here, there are shops, residences, and government offices on both sides. It was once very lively. I seem to see people in gorgeous clothes, meeting after dusk to chat and take a walk. Everything here reminds us of the ruthlessness of time and shows a picture of the world after the disappearance of humans.

This popular science place is known as the most perfect ruins in the world. It is a city of earthen buildings carved out of the wall by nature. It is the site of the ancient Anxi Protectorate. Tickets are 100 yuan per person, and the scenic area shuttle bus is 30 yuan per person. However, you have to walk to enter the ancient city. There is no shelter except for the mounds, so it is recommended to take sunscreen.

We went to the Jiaohe Ancient City in the afternoon. It was very hot, but I still finished the walk. It was full of history. The ruins from more than 2,000 years ago, although they have long been dried up, are still shocking.

Jiaohe Ancient City is worth a visit. The ruins of the ancient city from more than 2,000 years ago are shocking. It is a good place to travel back to ancient times.

Generally speaking, this attraction is no longer in Turpan now. I don't know why, probably to protect the cultural relics. Walking into the ancient city and closing your eyes, you can feel the prosperity of the Silk Road more than 2,000 years ago, with merchants from all over the world coming and going in an endless stream.

The Anxi Protectorate, the highest military and political institution in the Western Regions during the Tang Dynasty, was first established here. After years of brutal wars, the city-state gradually declined and was eventually abandoned, leaving people today with endless regrets.

After buying the ticket, I didn't buy the section ticket between the scenic area gate and the ancient city. The staff said it was four kilometers, but in fact it took ten minutes to walk from the gate to the ancient city gate, less than one kilometer. There are ruins all along the way, so you might as well use your imagination and compose as you like. The original Jiaohe King City, "the elegance is always blown away by the rain and wind."

Due to the tight schedule, the entire tour lasted only about an hour. The sun set at 9 o'clock, and then it quickly got dark. So when I left the city, I went out in the dark with a flashlight. It was dead silent and very scary. Because I took the loop route, I didn't see any scenery on the way back and didn't enjoy it. If you are a fan of architectural history, it is strongly recommended to set aside 2 hours here.

Jiaohe Ancient City is the largest, oldest and best-preserved adobe city in the world. It is also the most complete urban relic in my country that has been preserved for more than 2,000 years. The Anxi Protectorate, the highest military and political institution in the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty, was first established in Jiaohe Ancient City. In 1961, it was listed as a key cultural relic protection site at the national level.

On June 22, 2014, at the 38th World Heritage Committee meeting of UNESCO held in Doha, Qatar, Jiaohe Ancient City was successfully included in the World Heritage List as a site of the "Silk Road: Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor Road Network" jointly applied for by China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

I heard from the lady selling souvenirs in the scenic area that Chinese people come out after one or two hours, but foreigners stay for five or six hours no matter how hot it is. I don’t know what they are studying. However, this scenic spot is indeed the one where I met the most foreigners among all the scenic spots in Xinjiang during this trip.

We were the first few tourists. The time difference here is two hours later than that in the mainland. The staff had just started working and the computers were not set up yet, so we did not buy the intercity train tickets. When we walked in, we found that it was not far and we arrived in just over ten minutes.

The sun was scorching the earth, the broken walls were hot, the ground underfoot was scalding, there was not a single green tree to provide shade, not even a piece of shady land to hide in. It was truly like being in a "furnace".

Immersive, shocking and solemn

This was an important post station on the ancient Silk Road. Although only mottled earth walls and some remaining buildings remain, it is still worth a visit. The whole city is spectacular and majestic from a distance, and it is worth the trip.

The so-called old city means that no one lives there anymore. After a long period of weathering, you can still vaguely see the grandeur of the city, and marvel at the greatness and wisdom of the ancients. It is really hot here, the kind of dry heat, which feels like it is baking you, but you don't sweat much. After the tour, I sat down to eat watermelon, which felt really good. The watermelon was free, and the price I set online was 299, including all transportation and tickets, which was very affordable. I have checked that most of these attractions can be reached by bus, but it is inconvenient, and the bus is all in Uyghur. If you are in a hurry, I still recommend a one-day tour.

I just had a quick tour here. It was so hot that I didn't even see the place where people lived in ancient times. Looking at the photos taken by my friends, it feels a bit like Mogao Grottoes (as if I had been to Mogao Grottoes myself)~ Anyway, it's very suitable for taking blockbuster movies~

The visitor reception hall is well designed, integrating introduction, ticket purchase and waiting functions, and then you can take a bus into the scenic area. Many scenic spots now adopt this approach after successfully applying for World Heritage status, like the Dazu Rock Carvings in Chongqing, which have a somewhat over-packaged feeling, the filling remains the same, but the skin is thicker.

Overall, the construction of the new supporting facilities in Jiaohe is still of a fairly high level. For example, the wooden open-air stairs allow you to climb up the high slope next to it and enjoy the whole view of the old city across the river valley, which reflects the role of supporting facilities. At least the money was not wasted. This area of buildings was dug out from the ground, a bit like the cave dwellings in northern Shaanxi. The soil is as hard as a rock. As a graduate of architecture, my instinctive reaction was: how to solve the drainage problem? Then I smiled and said, in this desert, are you still worried about too much rain? Let the storm come more violently.

If you are a person who loves history and culture, you will be moved when standing in a piece of loess with a history of more than 2,000 years.

After thousands of years, the streets, walls and even windows of the ancient city are still clearly visible, as if the prosperity of the Silk Road can still be vaguely seen.

Under the scorching sun, we entered from the South Gate, which was once used for the army to enter and exit and transport supplies. The earth cliff at the South Gate was so dangerous that one man could not stand up to ten thousand men. Walking along the central avenue in the city, the prosperous ancient city a thousand years ago, whether it was the large courtyard area or the southern Buddhist temple area, the central tower or the tower forest and the tomb area, had long been destroyed by war, buried in loess, and blown by wind and sand. The soil here is as hard as a rock and scorching hot, making it impossible to imagine the spring breeze and rain and the hustle and bustle of the past. No wonder the Yuan Dynasty poet Chen Yifu wrote, "I came here four hundred years later, and how does the sunset and withered grass mean."

It is a place that is definitely worth visiting, very shocking, and very photogenic. Being there feels like traveling back to the ancient Cheshi Kingdom 2,000 years ago. I won’t say much, just look at the pictures~!

This place is definitely worth a visit. Jiaohe Ancient City was once the capital of the Cheshi Kingdom, and Gaochang was also a territory of the Cheshi Kingdom at that time. Jiaohe is also much larger than Gaochang. The hot weather makes it less crowded. When you walk deep into the ancient city, you feel like you are lost in an ancient castle in the desert. The construction method of Jiaohe is also very special. It was "dug" out of a large earthen hill and built by hollowing it out. Therefore, walking inside it is sometimes like walking in a maze.

When I first entered, I thought it wouldn't be very big, but I really underestimated the meaning of "well-preserved". The scenic area is very large, and it takes nearly 2 hours to walk around it. Because there are no trees, it is very sunny when visiting. You must bring a thin coat, hat or parasol, and don't forget water. Later, I felt like I was walking in the desert, and the whole city was like a ship.

Jiaohe Ancient City, the ruins of the ancient city, is very shocking and beautiful, highly recommended.