Thoughts of Ozymandias came into mind as I visited the Gaochang ancient city 高昌古城ruins and Jiaohe ancient city 交河故城 ruins in Turpan 吐鲁番. Both cities had once thrived as early as 2000+ years ago (in the case of Jiaohe) and have since disappeared in the ravages of war (around Song dynasty) leaving behind ruins and mysteries.
We wandered through both cities in the baking sun (35C plus) viewing what's left behind of buddhist temples, government buildings and ordinary people's 老百姓 homes, all now melted into mounds of yellow clay and alleyways. Whilst perhaps not as impressive as Petra (Jordan), these ancient ruins convey a more vivid sense of everyday life and community. Houses back then didn't have windows or at best just one window at the back of the house. And in Jiaohe, people were smart enough to build secret passages linking homes so that in the case of attacks, they could escape more easily via these hidden passageways. Jiaohe also hides a mystery - a burial ground where excavations have revealed more than 200 buried infants between the ages of two to five. As of now, nobody has been able to confirm the reason behind the mass burial.
Turpan offers a few other interesting sights including the revered tomb of a direct follower of Mohammed who, after Mohammed's death, spread Islam into Xinjiang. This is a hugely sacred location for Muslims, second only to Mecca. Chinese Muslims who are unable to travel to Mecca for Haj will travel to this tomb in Turpan. The sacred tomb is located in a lush and green valley where the village homes have preserved the traditional style. (See photos)
Also in Turpan are the Flaming Mountains 火焰山. This is the setting for a story in one of my favorite Chinese classical books: Journey to the West 西游记. This is the book about the adventures of Tang Xuanzhang, the Tang dynasty monk who travelled to the "west" (India then) with Monkey, Sandy and Piggy to obtain Buddhist sutras and encountered many demons on the way trying to stop their mission. There is a famous story in the book set in the Flaming Mountains in which the Bull Demon King 牛魔王 and his wife, the Iron Fan Princess 铁扇公主, lived. Monkey had to borrow the fan of the Princess to suppress the flames from the mountains. While there aren't any actual flames from the mountains, they are so known because of their rugged reddish appearance and the steam and smoke that actually waft up from the mountains during extreme heat. The Flaming Mountains actually stretch for miles and miles and one can view them anywhere (just tell the driver to stop the car by the side of the highway), the government has built a commercial complex to frame the entry to the best point to view/photograph the mountains and a small museum on the classical book. All a little tacky and touristy, but fun and on the main route between the city of Turpan and other sights.
After Turpan, I returned to Urumqi tonight, enroute tomorrow morning to Kuqa (or Kuche in putonghua) 库车.
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
Percy Bysshe Shelley
