Jiaohe Ancient City

As the oldest, largest and best preserved earthen city in China, the ancient city of Jiaohe lies in the Yarnaz Valley, 10 km (6.2 miles) west of Turpan. The city was the capital of Chechi Kingdom 2,000 years ago, and was also an important garrison during both the Western Han (206 BC - 24 AD) and Tang Dynasty (618 - 907).

The city resembles a willow leaf with a length of 1,600 meters (about 5249 ft) and a width of 300 meters (about 984 ft) at the widest part. It was surrounded by sheer cliffs, then two twisting 30-meter-deep rivers. That's why the town was so called for Jiaohe means twisting rivers in Chinese.

A broad avenue served to divide the city into three parts: the residence of temples and officials, the residence of common people and the workshop area. Buildings in the city are quite special that ancient residents dug caves into the earth and built houses over them, so the buildings are half-buried in the earth. Many of these underground buildings are still well preserved to this day. The only brick building in the city is a grand temple in the southeastern section. Most of the buildings we see today were built during the Tang Dynasty.