Jiaohe Ancient City
The Ancient City of Jiaohe is located in the Yarnaz Valley thirteen kilometers
west of Turpan. It was first the capital of the State of South Cheshi,
which was one of the thirty-six states in the Western Region. As described
in the dynastic history book The Notes on the Western Region, A History
of the Han dynasty, "The State of South Cheshi made the city of Jiaoheits
capital, which was circled by rivers flowing by the city, hence the name
of 'Jiaohe' (the city of joining rivers)." Built on a loess plateau
30 meters high, the ancient city is 1,650 meters long and 300 meters wide.
The city has no walls andis protected by the natural
fortification of the precpitous cliffs. During
the Western Han dynasty, the central government established "Jiaohebi"
(an administrative division)and appointed and dispatched a commanding
general officer to the Turpan area. During the period from the Northern
Wei to the beginning of the Tang dynasty, Jiaohebi was Jiaohe Prefecture
under the jurisdiction of Gaochang Kingdom. The Anxi Military Viceroy's
Office,the highest civil and military administrative organ set up by the
Tang government in the Western Region, was first established in the city.
Between the middle of the eighth century and the middle of the ninth century,
the city was occupied by Tibetans. After that, it was called Jiaohe Prefecture
and fell under the jurisdiction of the Huigu Gaochang Kingdom.
At the end of the thirteenth century, it was destroyed in Mongolian aristocratic
rebellions.
The size of the existing ruins indicates its great prosperity
during the Tang dynasty. There are two citygates.The
main southern gate is in ruins. The eastern gate is relatively well-preserved,
with visible gateways and mortise openings for mounting the gate lintels.
There are hideouts built in the gate for soldiers to defend the city.
The ruins of the buildings, divided basically into temples,
civilian dwellings and government offices, have an area of 220,000 square
meters. Entering the southern gate, one can see a 10 meter-wide and 350-meter-long
main street leading to the biggest Buddhist temple located in the north-central
part of the city. The tower in front of the temple gate is still intact,
and standing on top of the tower one can enjoy the panorama of the whole
city. There are still some more temples in the city. In the southeastern
area of the city are located administrative office buildings and official
residences which are the only big buildings built of bricks and tiles.
According toresearchers, the magnificent, half-underground, two-story
building is probably the seat of Anxi's Military Viceroy's Office during
the Tang dynasty.The architectural style of the ancient city
of Jiaohe differs from that of the city of Gaochang. Here in Jiaohe, courtyards
are pits dug in the ground, dwellings are caves opened into the earth
and walls are built of tamped earth. Houses are two-storied without windows
and doors on the side facing streets and courtyard gates are hidden in
deep lanes. The architectural style also features some typical elements
of the Tang dynasty. Visitors to the city can still walk along the streets
and go through the halls into the charming inner rooms.The
ancient city of Jiaohe was classified as an important cultural unit protected
by the state in 1961.
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