The Turpan basin is one of the richest archaeological regions in China, and the Turpan Museum is where its finds are kept. The basin's extreme dryness has preserved materials that rot anywhere else: textiles, wood, leather, food, paper and human remains, most of them recovered from the cemeteries and the ruined cities along the Silk Road's northern route. The museum is the necessary complement to visiting Jiaohe, Gaochang and the Astana graves themselves, because what has been excavated is here rather than on the sites.
What is on display
The collections run from the prehistoric period through the Han, the period of the Gaochang kingdom, the Tang and the Uyghur kingdom that followed, and into the Islamic period. The highlights are the preserved textiles - silk, brocade, wool and cotton - from the Astana graves, which include complete garments and shoes in extraordinary condition; the documents in Chinese, Sanskrit, Tibetan, Sogdian, Uyghur and other languages that record the ordinary administration of a Silk Road town; wooden figurines, tomb guardians and model animals; coins, glass and metalwork traded from both east and west; and painted tomb materials. Several naturally preserved human remains are also displayed, in the manner usual in Chinese museums.
Why it matters
Turpan sat at the junction of the northern and southern routes around the Taklamakan and was ruled in turn by Chinese dynasties, local kings and steppe confederations, which is why its material culture is so mixed. The documents in particular are important beyond China: they include contracts, tax records, letters and religious texts that show how a multi-lingual trading town actually functioned. Seeing the objects before or after walking the ruins of Jiaohe and Gaochang makes both experiences considerably richer.
Practical notes
The museum is in the centre of Turpan town, is open daily except Mondays, and admission is free with an identity document. Allow about two hours. Labels are mostly in Chinese with some English, so a translation app or a guide is helpful; the textile and document galleries are the ones not to rush. The museum is easy to combine with the town's other sights, since the Emin Minaret, the Karez museum and the bazaar are all within a short drive. Spring and autumn are the best seasons for the whole basin, and summer is very hot.
