Jiaohe Ruins


Jiaohe or Yarkhoto is a ruined city in the Yarnaz Valley, 10 km west of the city of Turpan in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. It was the capital of the Jushi Kingdom. It is a natural fortress located atop a steep cliff on a leaf-shaped plateau between two deep river valleys.

Names

The Hou Hanshu says:

  • "The king of Nearer Jushi [Turfan]1 lives in the town of Jiaohe [Yarkhoto, 20 li west of Turfan]. A river divides into two and surrounds the town, which is why it is called Jiaohe ['River Junction']."

Lionel Giles recorded the following names for the city (with his Wade-Giles forms of the Chinese names substituted with pinyin):

  • Jiaohe, ancient capital of Turfan [Han].

  • Jushi Qianwangting (Royal Court of Anterior/Nearer Jushi) [Later Han]

  • Gaochang Jun [Jin]

  • Xi Zhou [Tang]

  • Yarkhoto [modern name].

Aurel Stein has suggested that the name Yarkhoto is a combination of Turkic and Mongolian words, being derived from yar (Turki: ravine) and khoto (Mongolian: town).

History

From 108 BC to 450 AD Jiaohe was the capital of the Anterior Jushi Kingdom. It was an important site along the Silk Road trade route leading west, and was adjacent to the Korla and Karasahr kingdoms to the west. From 450 AD until 640 AD it became Jiao prefecture in the Tang Dynasty, and in 640 AD it was made the seat of the new Jiaohe County. From 640 AD until 658 AD it was also the seat of the Protector General of the Western Regions, the highest level military post of a Chinese military commander posted in the west. Since the beginning of the 9th century it had become Jiaohe prefecture of the Uyghur Khaganate, until their kingdom was conquered by the Kyrgyz soon after in the year 840. Yarkhoto was also built on a plateau and this plateau is 30m high.

The city was built on a large islet (1650 m in length, 300 m wide at its widest point) in the middle of a river which formed natural defenses, which would explain why the city lacked any sort of walls. Instead, steep cliffs more than 30 metres high on all sides of the river acted as natural walls. The layout of the city had eastern and western residential districts, while the northern district was reserved for Buddhist sites of temples and stupas. Along with this there are notable graveyards and the ruins of a large government office in the southern part of the eastern district. It had a population of 7,000 according to Tang dynasty records.

It was finally abandoned after its destruction during an invasion by the Mongols led by Genghis Khan in the 13th century.

The ruins were visited by the archaeologist and explorer Aurel Stein, who described "a maze of ruined dwellings and shrines carved out for the most part from the loess soil", but complained that a combination of local farmers' use of the soil and government interference in his activities prevented examination. The site was partially excavated in the 1950s and has been protected by the PRC government since 1961. There are now attempts to protect this site and other Silk Road city ruins.

Conservation

Both the Nara National Cultural Properties Research Institute and the Xinjiang Cultural Relics Bureau have been cooperating in a joint venture to preserve the ruins of the site since 1992. In 2014, the Jiaohe Ruins became part of the Silk Road UNESCO World Heritage Sites, after several years of preparation.

See also

  • Gaochang ruins

  • Tocharian languages

  • Silk Road transmission of Buddhism

  • Major national historical and cultural sites (Xinjiang)

Client’s Reviews

  • Aubrey D

    Reviewed 12thSeptember2017

    There may be other places like this in China, but I haven't seen them. This place felt like a land out of time and was a hauntingly quiet place in the middle of the Chinese desert. There's little refuge from the sun once you've left...More

  • JessLWang

    Reviewed 23rdAugust2012

    Jiaohe is a very impressive historical site but it is rather packed with tourists (well, for a Xinjiang site. Chinese tourists still do not go to these places with anywhere near the numbers you'd see in someplace like say, Lijiang) and is more commercial than...More

  • NeoAxion

    Reviewed 3rdApril2015

    There isn't too much to see (as most of the structures are worn down) and I think this site isn't for everyone. Nevertheless, I thought it was eerily cool. I was in awe standing in a place with so much history behind it. Read up...More

  • petersjsim

    Reviewed 25thApril2018

    This is a World Heritage site of the lost Kingdom of Yar. The religion also deserted after the Kingdom diminished. This is a historic site to witness the religion changes from Buddhism to Islamic. Walk around the boardwalk to see the ruin of the city,...More

  • Jennytomkins

    Reviewed 7thOctober2015

    Wow! Amazing site. This site was the capital of the Jushi kingdom from 108BC to 450AD. It is such an interesting site to walk around, meandering through different paths. Once 7,000 people lived here. If you enjoy history, make sure you visit this place.

  • Richards_remarks

    Reviewed 22ndMay2015

    Again, a tourist trap! You will see some badly restored ruins from a golf car. With signs saying “don't step outside the road” forcing you to stay in the car!

  • T S

    Reviewed 16thJuly2018

    We arrived at 4:30pm and spent three hours. The heat radiating from the stone is hard to describe. You could cook an egg on the stone walkway . We brought four bottles of water and that was not enough. We were always looking for what...More

  • JPDM788

    Reviewed 15thMay2013

    This site is pretty close to the city. It is much better than GaoChang and bigger. There are english signs with some explanation near certain key building but a guide would have been better. Certainly a must while in Turpan.

  • HazzzM

    Reviewed 25thJuly2017

    Just outside of Turpan, this remarkable site is the remains of a large ancient city carved and shaped from a large rock platform between two deep green canyons. Breathtaking landscape, with, early in the morning, views of the distant snowcapped Tian Shan Mountains. This is...More

  • lI0ve2h0liday

    Reviewed 8thJuly2019

    The are 2 parts to this place. The actual ancient city and a modern bit where the have tried to show you what life would have been like. Both sections are interesting in there own way. The replica doesn't take very long to go around....More

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