Turpan - Jiaohe - Turpan

After breakfast, we will go to the ruins of Jiaohe - located about 10 kilometers west of Turpan - which used to be a strategically important city on the ancient Silk Road some 2’500 years ago and the capital of the former Cheshi State. The city is built on a plateau surrounded by deep, fertile valleys and has no walls as it is protected by the natural fortification of the precipitous cliffs. It used to be a flourishing state capital with Buddhist temples, living quarters and government sections until it was tossed into the reigns of the Turpan, Hui and Mongols at the end of the 8  century and was finally abandoned in the beginning of the 14th century.

We will have lunch (local bread, kebab, fruits) in a picturesque orchard and will then explore the Karez System, an irrigation system of wells connected by underground channels, considered as one of the three great ancient projects in China, the other two being the Great Wall and the Grand Canal. The structure of the karez basically consists of wells, underground channels, ground canals and small reservoirs.

The next highlight will be Emin Minaret, which is the largest extant old tower in Xinjiang and the only Islamic tower among the hundred famous towers in China. Standing 2 km east of Turpan, Emin Minaret was built in 1777 in honor of the heroic Turpan general, Emin Khoja.

Dinner will be in the hotel after which you can watch a Uygur dancing performance. Get invited by the prettiest girls and most handsome boy dancers to join the merry crowd -- just relax and enjoy the cool summer night!

You will stay overnight in a 4-star-hotel.