Karez Tourism Guide
Lakes and Tuva Villages in Northern Xinjiang: Sanwan, Hemu, Baihaba
The Karez system is an ancient engineering marvel on par with the Great Wall and the Grand Canal: vertical shafts connect underground channels, bringing snowmelt from the Tianshan Mountains into the oasis. This article explains how it works, which section is the most visually striking, and the convenient route along the Grapevine Gully.
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Destination Details
The surface of Turpan experiences astonishing evaporation, so in ancient times people stored water underground: they dug hundreds to thousands of vertical wells at places where snowmelt from the Tianshan Mountains seeped down, connected the bottoms of the wells with hidden channels, and allowed the water to flow naturally underground to the oasis, with almost zero evaporation throughout the journey. At its peak, the total length of Turpan's Karez system exceeded 5,000 kilometers, making it one of the three great ancient engineering projects of China alongside the Great Wall and the Grand Canal.
What to See
- Karez Paradise / Museum: You can walk into the underground channels and touch the icy snow water by hand, which is the most direct experience.
- Vertical Well Display Area: The circular soil rings on the ground are the well openings, which look like ellipses from an aerial perspective.
- Open Channels and Flood Dams: The last section where water emerges to irrigate the vineyards, where village elders still rest and wash vegetables.
How to Visit Along the Way
Most Karez attractions are on the outskirts of the city, and they are best visited together with Grape Valley and Jiaohe Ancient City in a single day; a visit takes about an hour, the underground areas are cool, making it the best "summer retreat" on a Turpan itinerary.
Notes
The steps in the underground channels are slippery, wear non-slip shoes; the water temperature is around ten degrees Celsius year-round, so keep children warm; the underground areas are dimly lit, but you can still take good photos using your phone's night mode.
