Turpan ( Turfan ) is located in eastern Xinjiang, China. it is 189 km driving distance from Urumqi – the provencial capital of Xinjiang . It has an area of 69,324 km² and a population of 570,000 . Lying in the Turpan Basin, the elevation of most of the places in the area is below 500 meters . Turpan is the city with the lowest elevation in China. The Aydingkol Lake is 154 meters below sea level . The climate is dry, hot and windy with an average rainfall of only 0.9 inches per year.
The population of Turpan 70.01% are Uyghur, 23.3% are Han, 6.38% are Hui, with the remainder belonging to other ethnicities.
Turpan which is also known as Huo Zhou (a place as hot as fire), is the hottest place in China. The annual average temperature is 14′C . There are 152 summer days on average, and 28 really broiling days with the temperature above 40′C .
Turpan is praised as the ‘Hometown of Grapes’ and the Grape Valley is a good place to enjoy the grapes of hundreds of varieties. The locals are quite fond of sand therapy which has a history of hundreds of years in Turpan. People lie or sit under sheds, burying their bodies in hot sand about 50′C (122′F) to 60′C (140′F). It is said to be a good way to treat rheumatism and skin ailments.
Lying at the junction of the east and the west of China, it has been a key point on the Silk Road since ancient times, with a great number of historical relics as well as unique landscapes.
History
Turpan’s history can trace as far back as 6,000 years ago. The city was known as Gushi in the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-24AD); and in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), it got its name Turpan.
Turfan Prefecture directly controls 1 county-level city and 2 counties.
County-level City: Turpan city,
County: Piqan County , Toksun County
September 20th, 2011 at 3:50 am
I went to Turpan with my friend 3 years ago. we had a very wonderful time, we loved this place very much and we got experience from the Uyghur ethnic group about their culture and traditions.