These
ruins, ten kilometers
west of Turpan, are
considered to have been
the frontier post of the
outer Cheshi Kingdom
during the Han Dynasty.
In the sixth century
Jiaohe Prefecture was
established with the
original Jiahe City as
the seat of the
prefecture government.
Jiaohe City was built on
an island at the
confluence of two
rivers, occupying an
area of 230,000 square
meters. Most of the
remaining buildings are
from the Tang Dynasty
(618-907) and later
times, and they fall
into three categories:
temples, civilian
residences, and
administration
buildings. What is left
of the town indicates
three interesting things
about it: (1) that its
doors and windows did
not face the street – a
peculiarity of Tang
Dynasty architecture:
(2) that courtyards and
rooms were dug from the
earth, like cave
dwellings – a specialty
in China’s northwest;
and (3) that no city
walls were necessary
because the town was
surrounded by cliffs – a
feature decided its
peculiar terrain. The
fact that Jiaohe’s
houses have been
preserved so well is
mainly due to the area’s
dry climate. |