 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 Jiaohe its 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 thirty meters
high, the ancient city is 1,650 meters long and 300 meters wide. The
city has no walls and is protected by the natural fortification of
the precipitous 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 for 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 city gates. The main southern gate
is in ruins. The eastern gate is relatively well-preserved, with
visible gateways and mortice openings for mounting the gate lintels.
There are hideouts built in the gate for soldiers to defend the
city.
In the north-central part of the inner city, there is a high terrace
on which stands a square pagoda built of adobe called “Khan’s
castle” which means “Imperial Palace.” Somewhat
to its west there is a half-underground, two-story structure which
was probably the ruins of a palace.
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
to researchers, 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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