Turpan sits in the Turpan Depression, the second lowest point on earth after the Dead Sea, at 154 meters below sea level. The surrounding mountains block moisture from the west, so the area receives almost no rain and summer temperatures routinely exceed 40 degrees Celsius. At the same time meltwater from the Tianshan snowfields is channeled to the oasis through the karez underground irrigation system, making the valley unusually fertile.
The grape valley
The valley runs for about eight kilometers through a gorge in the Flaming Mountains, and its slopes are covered with vineyards. Trellises are built over the lanes, so you walk in shade under hanging bunches of grapes. More than a dozen seedless varieties are grown here, along with melons, apricots and mulberries. Small Uyghur villages are set among the vines, with mud-brick houses, poplar trees and irrigation channels running past the doors.
The drying houses
Raisins here are not sun-dried. Grapes are hung inside tall brick buildings with slotted walls, where hot dry air passes through and dries the fruit slowly in the shade. This keeps the raisins green and soft rather than dark and leathery, and the buildings themselves, with their pierced brickwork, are one of the most distinctive pieces of vernacular architecture in the region.
Practical notes
The valley is about ten kilometers east of Turpan and easy to visit in an afternoon, usually combined with the Flaming Mountains and the Bezeklik caves. There is an admission fee for the main scenic area. The best time to visit is late summer and early autumn, when the grape harvest is on and fruit is sold at the roadside by the basket. Summer days are extremely hot, so go in the morning or late afternoon and carry water.
