Last Update: 17th October 2020
Stretching for 1,750 meters long from south to north, Ancient City of Jiaohe is composed of temples, houses, offices, workshops, tombs area, barracks, etc. It is located 13 kilometers west of Turpan. With a total area of 470,000 square meters, the city features the 360,000-square-meters existing building ruins most of which were built in the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907). The layout of the buildings is unique.
- Chinese Name: Jiaohe Gucheng (交河故城)
- Area: 47 x hectares
- Things to do there: Photography, Islam
- Who visits: Photographers, Adventure Enthusiasts, Archaeologists
- Time required: 2 – 3 hours
Originally built in immature soil in the second century BC, Ancient City of Jiaohe is surrounded by cliffs and banks of the river. The ancient people created the whole city by digging downwards from the ground. The residential area is divided into the east and the west. Nowadays, roofs of the houses don’t exist. The reason why the roofs disappeared has remained unknown for hundreds of years. The streets are narrow, deep and long.
You will find the ruins of a large temple with many pagodas in the north of the city. It is said that eminent monks were buried in the pagodas. In the southeast is a magnificent underground house with an 11-meter square patio on the top. A number of workshops are situated in the west. In this district, you could explore the ruins of dwelling houses, distilleries, shoe workshops, textile mills and the like.
In the east of the city are the ruins of barracks, such as watchtowers, posts, etc. There are the ruins of around 200 tombs of babies in the district of the offices. There are no names or epigraphs in the tombs. A Buddhist temple is located on the right bank of the river 1.5 kilometers southwest of the city. 7 caves stand in a line there. You will find murals and Uighur script in the caves.
It is suggested that you visit the Emin Minaret in the afternoon as the entrance to the pagoda is included in the combo ticket for Grape Valley, Ancient City of Jiaohe, and karez system. The combo ticket is valid in 48 hours (If you buy the ticket at 10:00am on Wednesday 19th December 2018, the ticket is valid by 10:00am on Friday 20th December 2018).
The best months to visit are from April to July and from September to October.
There is no direct bus to Ancient City of Jiaohe from Turpan. The only option is to rent a vehicle.
- Opening hours: 10:00 – 19:00
- As the entrance ticket is included in several combo tickets, the pricing for combo tickets is different.
- As at 17th October 2020, the combo ticket for Grape Valley, Flaming Mountains, Ancient City of Jiaohe, Ancient Village of Jiaohe, Emin Minaret and karez system is 290 CNY per person.
- The combo ticket for Grape Valley, Flaming Mountains, Ancient City of Jiaohe, Ancient Village of Jiaohe (including the shuttle bus), Emin Minaret and karez system is 320 CNY per person.
- The combo ticket for Grape Valley, Ancient City of Jiaohe, Emin Minaret, Duke Office and karez system is 235 CNY per person.
- The combo ticket for Grape Valley, Astana Tombs, Ancient City of Jiaohe, Desert Botanical Garden and karez system is 250 CNY per person.
- The combo ticket for Grape Valley, Flaming Mountains, Ancient City of Gaochang, Tuyuq Valley, Ancient City of Jiaohe and karez system is 310 CNY per person.
- The combo ticket for Ancient City of Gaochang, Ancient City of Jiaohe, Bezeklik Caves, Astana Tombs, Duke Office, Emin Minaret and karez system is 325 CNY per person.
- The combo ticket for Grape Valley, Ancient City of Jiaohe, Duke Office, Emin Minaret and karez system is 235 CNY per person.
- All the combo tickets are valid in 48 hours (If you buy the ticket at 10:00am on Wednesday 20th December 2018, the ticket is valid by 10:00am on Friday 22th December 2018).
- Children under 1.2m tall (1.2m tall not included) are free of charge.
- For the latest pricing information, please contact us via email (info@wendyweitours.com)
- Please take enough food with drinking water with you.
- Please wear the sunscreen cream, sunglasses and the like to stop the strong sunlight shining your body directly in the dry weather.
Wendy Wei Tours offers a variety of different packaged tours as well as custom tours including the Ancient City of Jiaohe, among other attractions and destinations. To find out more, please visit our Tours page or Contact Us directly to find out more.