Ancient City of Gaochang

The ancient town of Gaochang was once the capital city of the Gaochang (Kocho, Kharakhoja or "King City") Uigur Kingdom. Lying at the Mutougou River Delta at the foot of Flaming Mountain, 45 km east of Turpan City of the Xinjiang Uigur Autonomous Region, Gaochang served as an important commercial and cultural center on the ancient Silk Road and played an important role in the history of communication between ancient China and the West. The once thriving capital city was gradually deserted over a period of more than 2,000 years, but the site of the ancient town is still visible and the city wall still stands in the basin not far from Flaming Mountain. Withstanding the test of time and weather, the ancient city of Gaochang, and the ancient city of Jiaohe, are the best-preserved ruins of the ancient cities in China. These two cities were added to the World Heritage List on June 22, 2014.

The city was initially built as a garrison town in the first century B.C., called Gaochang Wall, and later renamed Kharakhoja, Kocho or King City. It was a key point along the Silk Road. During the successive dynasties, it was ruled as Gaochang Prefecture, Gaochang Kingdom and West Prefecture. By the 14th century, the city was damaged and abandoned due to warfare between Mongolian aristocrats and Uigurs. After 2,000 years, the weather-beaten ancient city still displays its past greatness and glory even though the walls are incomplete the magnificent outline remains.

The present remains of Gaochang City that was built in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and rebuilt and enlarged in the Huihu period cover an area of over 2 million square meters. Most city wall remains were made of tampered earth. Taking a shape of an irregular square, the whole city was divided into three sections, namely the outer city, the inner city and the palace.

The outer city had a wall base of 12 meters thick, 11.5 meters high, with a perimeter of 5.4 kilometers. The outer side of the city wall was well preserved, with horse face figures protruding outward. Three gates were open in the south wall, while the other three walls each had 2 gates, of which the north gate open in the west wall was the best preserved one. Built outside the city gates were a number of small protective towns, equipped with defense facilities.

The inner city was built in the center of the outer city, with well-preserved west and south walls. Built earlier than the outer city, the inner city had a rectangular shape. The palace, built in the uttermost north of the outer city, took the north wall of the outer city as its north wall and the north wall of the inner city as its south wall.

The Palace City is located in the north of the inner city, sharing its southern wall with the inner city and northern wall with the outer city. It is a rectangle with a perimeter of 700 meters (2,296 feet). Within the city, many large  cornerstones remains are still visible, with an average height of 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) to 4 meters (13 feet). These cornerstones are relics of a 4-storied palace. An irregular adobe square standing in a high earthen platform is called "Khan's Castle", which was the imperial residence.

During late 19thcentury to early 20thcentury, grave robbers from Russia, Germany, Britain, and Japan plundered cultural relics at the Ancient Gaochang City. Renowned Chinese scholar Huang Wenbi twice surveyed the city in 1928 and 1930. After the founding of new China, cultural relic administrative bureau was set up to carry out further researches at the site and unearthed a number of valuable relics.

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