The small city of Turpan in Xinjiang is located on the
northern rim of the Turpan Depression, which averages 505 feet below the sea level; one of the
lowest depressions on earth only rivaled by the Dead Sea. In the summer, this “Land of Fire” (Huozhou, in
Chinese) can reach 104 F with blustering winds and in the winter the climate
drops to 5F. Thanks the ingenious Uygur peoples’ Karez irrigation system, this otherwise lifeless land is an
agricultural oasis, renowned for its seedless grapes, raisins and sweet wines. Who
would imagine this lowest and hottest region in China produces the best melons
and grapes in Asia! When traveled in Xinjiang in the summer, the ubiquitous
meal of tomatoes sautéed with eggs is offered on every Chinese restaurant’s
lunch and dinner menu (I will talk about Xinjiang’s tomato on my next blog!). Yet,
dining in Xinjiang’s Uyghur home style restaurants, one of the high lights of
travelling the Silk Road, I enjoyed peaches, apricots, cantaloupe, Nan bread,
fresh yogurt and watermelons at every meal.
Turpan City’s green oasis arises from Karez technology (Karez
means “well” in Persian). The Karez is an ancient aqueduct system that provides
water to an inhospitable land at the edge of the Tarim Desert. The system that brings water
to Turban ranks alongside the Dujanagyan Irrigation system (built in 256 BCE)
and Grand Canal (earlier section dates back to the fifth century BCE), as one
of China’s three great water projects. The Karez displays an astonishing level
of engineering innovation. It is highly
probable that without the life-giving tributaries created through the Karez irrigation
system, the culture that arose on the Tarim Desert Basin could never have
reached the size and sophistication necessary to support the Silk Road trade
route and allow it to flourish. (Xinjiang, China’s Central Asia by Jeremy
Tredinnick)
An article from the farwestchina.com: Uyghur Customs
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| Lunch at a private Uygur house |
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| Turpan’s grapes are fully mature in July, but raisin grapes are harvested in August to increase the sugar content. Grapes are hung on vines in special drying houses for about 30 days. Those remain on vines are air-dried and become green raisins, while those which fall off are sun-dried and become dark raisins. |
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| Grape trellises at Miyim Haji Karez Museum |
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| A drying house, the open brick work letting hot air flow through to dehydrate the grapes and create Turpan raisins. |
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| Grapes are draped over wooden racks that reach up to the building's ceiling. |
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| An underground tunnel where a real Karez channel flows. |
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| Open channel of Karez |
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| The girls of Xinjiang are all like flowers ( I bought a key chain from one of the girls after this sweet pose near Gaochang ). |
