Gaochang ruins, Ancient city ruins in Turpan, China

The Gaochang ruins represent an ancient city with a rectangular layout featuring substantial outer walls, several entrance gates, and numerous building complexes within its boundaries. The site displays a planned urban structure with distinct zones for administration, worship, and residential areas.

This settlement began in the 1st century BC as a Han Dynasty garrison and grew into a key trading hub on the Silk Road. The city experienced periods of prosperity and decline before eventually being abandoned.

The Buddhist temples and residential areas here reveal how important religion was to everyday life in this ancient settlement. Walking through the ruins, you notice the careful placement of prayer halls mixed within the living spaces.

The site is located roughly 40 kilometers east of Turpan and is accessible by vehicle. Guided tours help visitors navigate through the outer city, inner city, and palace areas more effectively.

The Astana tombs, 2 km northwest of the ruins, are a separate cemetery, not part of Gaochang itself. At the ruins, look for the Manichaean manuscripts and life-size Uyghur donor murals found in the buildings beside the tower in the Khan's Fort, now faint but still visible in places.