A PLACE, A STORY / Turpan
Gaochang Ruins
Earthen walls mark a former Silk Road centre near Turpan. Successive communities reshaped the city over more than a thousand years.
© HaziiDozen · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons. Resized and compressed. · Original source · License
© HaziiDozen · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons. Resized and compressed. · Original source · License
Gaochang developed as an important centre on routes through the Turpan region. Its history passed through several political and cultural periods, leaving the remains of outer, inner and palace-city areas. The site’s long use and eventual abandonment make the surviving walls a record of change as well as loss.
Look for how one wall divides the open landscape. Share with a friend which part helps you imagine a city, and which part makes that imagining difficult.
Editorial sources
- Gaochang District Culture and Tourism · Jiaohe Ruins
- Gaochang District Culture and Tourism · Gaochang Ruins
- UNESCO · Chang’an–Tianshan Silk Roads corridor
Editorial review:
Before travelling, check current access, opening times and entry requirements with the relevant official sources.
