Turfan
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Turfan (Uyghur: تۇرپان, Turpan, Turpan, Modern Chinese: 吐魯番, Pinyin: Tǔlǔfān; is an oasis city in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Its population was 254,900 at the end of 2003.
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[edit] Administration
Turfan is a county-level city in Turfan Prefecture, in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China.
[edit] Geography and climate
Turfan is located about 150 km southeast of Ürümqi, Xinjiang's capital, in a mountain basin, on the northern side of the Turfan Depression, at an elevation of 98 feet above sea level.
Turfan's climate is harsh, of the arid continental type, with very hot summers, very cold winters, and minimal precipitation, which amounts to only 0.9 inch (20mm) per year. July is the hottest month, with averages highs of 103°F (39°C) and lows of 77°F (25°C), while January is the coldest, with highs of 26°F (-4°C) and lows of 4°F (-16°C). The Highest temperature ever measured in Turfan is 55°C and the lowest is -38°C.
However, the very heat and dryness of the summer, when combined with the area's ancient system of irrigation, allows the countryside around Turfan to produce great quantities of high-quality fruit.
[edit] History
Turfan has long been the centre of a fertile oasis (with water provided by karez) and an important trade centre. It was historically located along the Silk Road's northern route, at which time it was adjacent to the kingdoms of Korla and Karashahr to the southwest and the town of Qarakhoja (Gaochang) to the southeast.
The earliest known tribes to inhabit the area were called Tocharians by the Greeks, or Yue-chi by the Chinese. In the early 2nd century BC the Tocharians were defeated by the Xiongnu Khanate and fled eastward to Bactria, later founding the Kushan Empire. Later the city came under control of the Chinese Han Dynasty and in 60 BC became part of the Protectorate of the Western Regions. During Later Han times the city changed hands between the Xiongnu, Han, and Kushans. After the fall of the Han Dynasty, the region was virtually independent but dominated by various dynasties.
Turfan is the source of numerous fragments written in the Middle Iranian languages (Middle Persian, Parthian, Sogdian, Sakan and Bactrian) related to the Iranian religion of Manichaeism.
From 487 to 541 AD Turfan was an independent Kingdom ruled by a Turkish tribe known to the Chinese as the Fufuluo. The Rouran Khaganate defeated the Fufuluo and subjucated Turfan, but soon afterwards the Rouran were destroyed by the Göktürks. In the mid 7th century the Tarim Basin was reoccupied by the Chinese, now under the Tang Dynasty. During the 7th, 8th, and early 9th centuries the whole region was fought over by the Tang, the Empire of Tibet, and the Turks.
The Uyghur Turks established a Khanate in Turfan (aka the Kara-Khanids that lasted from 856 to 1369 AD, surviving as a vassal of the Mongol Empire. This Khanate was established after the fall of the Uyghur Empire to the Kyrgyz Turks.
Francis Younghusband, visited Turfan in 1887 on his overland journey from Beijing to India. He said it consisted of two walled towns, a Chinese one with a population of no more than 5,000 and, about a mile (1.6 km) to the west, a Turk town of "probably" 12,000 to 15,000 inhabitants. The town (presumably the "Turk town") had four gateways, one for each of the cardinal directions, of solid brickwork and massive wooden doors plated with iron and covered by a semicircular bastion. The well-kept walls were of mud and about 35 ft (10.7 m) tall and 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 m) thick, with loopholes at the top. There was a level space about 15 yards (14 m) wide outside the main walls surrounded by a musketry wall about 8 ft (2.4 m) high, with a ditch around it some 12 ft (3.7 m) deep and 20 ft (6 m) wide). There were drumtowers over the gateways, small square towers at the corners and two small square bastions between the corners and the gateways, "two to each front." Wheat, cotton, poppies, melons and grapes were grown in the surrounding fields.[1]
[edit] Demography
According to the 2000 census, the city of Turfan had a population of 251,652 (population density 15.99 inh./km²). The breakdown by nationality was as follows:
| Nationality | Inhabitants | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Uyghur | 177,106 | 70.38% |
| Han | 55,238 | 21.95% |
| Hui | 18,482 | 7.34% |
| Tujia | 182 | 0.07% |
| Manchu | 132 | 0.05% |
| Tu | 98 | 0.04% |
| Mongol | 77 | 0.03% |
| Tibetan | 70 | 0.03% |
| Kazakh | 56 | 0.02% |
| Miao | 45 | 0.02% |
| Russian | 33 | 0.01% |
| Zhuang | 31 | 0.01% |
| Dongxiang | 30 | 0.01% |
| Others | 72 | 0.03% |
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Younghusband, Francis E. (1896). The Heart of a Continent, pp. 139-140. John Murray, London. Facsimile reprint: (2005) Elbiron Classics. ISBN 1-4212-6551-6 (pbk); ISBN 1-4212-6550-8 (hardcover).
[edit] References
- Hill, John E. 2003. "Annotated Translation of the Chapter on the Western Regions according to the Hou Hanshu." 2nd Draft Edition. [1]
- Hill, John E. 2004. The Peoples of the West from the Weilue 魏略 by Yu Huan 魚豢: A Third Century Chinese Account Composed between 239 and 265 CE. Draft annotated English translation. [2]
- Hulsewé, A. F. P. and Loewe, M. A. N. 1979. China in Central Asia: The Early Stage 125 BC – AD 23: an annotated translation of chapters 61 and 96 of the History of the Former Han Dynasty. E. J. Brill, Leiden.
- Puri, B. N. Buddhism in Central Asia, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited, Delhi, 1987. (2000 reprint).
- Stein, Aurel M. 1912. Ruins of Desert Cathay: Personal narrative of explorations in Central Asia and westernmost China, 2 vols. Reprint: Delhi. Low Price Publications. 1990.
- Stein, Aurel M. 1921. Serindia: Detailed report of explorations in Central Asia and westernmost China, 5 vols. London & Oxford. Clarendon Press. Reprint: Delhi. Motilal Banarsidass. 1980.[3]
- Stein Aurel M. 1928. Innermost Asia: Detailed report of explorations in Central Asia, Kan-su and Eastern Iran, 5 vols. Clarendon Press. Reprint: New Delhi. Cosmo Publications. 1981.
- Yu, Taishan. 2004. A History of the Relationships between the Western and Eastern Han, Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Western Regions. Sino-Platonic Papers No. 131 March, 2004. Dept. of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, University of Pennsylvania.
- Weatherbase Turpan, China
- Wikipedia article about the Dingling, with a special section about the Fufuluo.
[edit] See also
- Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves
- Gaochang
- Tarim mummies
- Jiaohe Ruins
- Flaming Mountains
- Turfan water system
[edit] External links
- Silk Road Seattle (The Silk Road Seattle website contains many useful resources including a number of full-text historical works, maps, photos, etc.)
- Karez (Qanats) of Turpan, China
| Administrative Divisions of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (Provincial Capital：Ürümqi City) |  |
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