The Turpan region sits in the Turpan Depression,
a deep trough located in the northeast of the Tarim Basin. In summer it is
one of the hottest and driest places in China but in winter temperatures drop to well below zero.
In the 9th century Chinese, Tibetans and Turks wrestled for control but in 803 AD the Uyghurs won
and founded their kingdom with the oasis town of Gaochang as capital.
Originally the Uyghurs were Buddhists but were later forcefully
converted to Islam by the Mongol Empire.
Close to Turpan sit the centuries old ruins of Jiaohe and Gaochang, once important cities
on the Silk Road.
Thanks
to the sunny climate and the ancient but effective
irrigation channels the Turpan region has developed into a major agricultural
center, producing vegetables and lots of very tasty grapes.