20160512_China_6360 crop Turpan sRGB oleh Dan Lundberg
A highway billboard for Lou Lan wine, “The Legend on the Silk Road,” is a reminder that the Turpan (Turfan, Tulufan) oasis is noted for growing grapes, including those for wine.
The Turpan Depression is entirely below sea level and includes the fourth lowest point on earth at -154m/-505ft. The area is the hottest and driest in China. Snow melt from the Tianshan and Flame Mountains is channeled to the oasis through tunnels which experience much less water evaporation compared with traditional surface irrigation canals. This karez (‘well’ in the Uighur language) irrigation system dates back 2,000 years to the Han dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE). The ancient city of Gaochang here was a key point on the Silk Road from the 1st century BCE to the 14th century CE.
The Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor [China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan] were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014.
[The term ‘Silk Road’ was coined in 1877 by German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen. The Silk Road contributed not only to the exchange of goods and technologies, but also to the mutual enrichment of cultures and traditions of different peoples. Direct maritime trade between Europe and the Far East ultimately supplanted the overland route.]
On Google Earth:
wine billboard 42°55'6.56"N, 89°29'33.25"E
Turpan water system is a tourist attraction, one of the Water wells in Qatkal Xiang, Republik Rakyat China. Ia terletak: 60 km dari Turfan, 540 km dari Ürümqi, 640 km dari Ch'ang-chi. Read further
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