Turpan: New Town, Pagoda and Karez

If you’re looking for a hotel in Turpan, you can start by choosing the focus you’re interested in: city history, architecture, the Karez theme or scenery. These places are spread across Turpan and its closer surroundings. For Karez Amusement Park, the distance information also helps distinguish the city from the national highway as separate reference points.

New Town and the Turpan Museum

The historic cultural district of New Town represents cultural diversity and the coexistence of several ethnic groups. A city report dated March 22, 2026, described it as the region’s only historic urban area with a living tradition preserved up to that point. Restoration work was ongoing at the time of publication. This information is therefore tied to the report’s status at that time. The Turpan Museum is located at 1268 Munar Street in Gaochang District. Together, the neighborhood and the museum’s specific address provide a reference point for Turpan’s urban history.

Su-Gong Pagoda: structure and dimensions

In the nearby surroundings of Turpan, two kilometers east of the city in Munar Village, stands the Su-Gong Pagoda, also known as the Emin Minaret. It was built in 1777. At 37 meters tall, with 72 steps, it has a clearly defined vertical form: the steps lead up to the top along a spiral central brick column. The details about its height and structure make its architecture easy to visualize. The pagoda is considered the largest surviving historic tower in Xinjiang and the only Islamic-style tower among China’s 100 famous towers.

Urban cultural project and the Karez theme

Turpan Grand Bazaar opened as an urban cultural and tourism project. It provides a platform for showcasing Hetian jade, decorative stones and rootwood art. This focus on handicrafts complements the themes of urban history and architecture. The materials named also give a concrete sense of what is presented there.

In the nearby surroundings, the Karez Museum is dedicated to the structure, distribution, functions and historical development of the Karez system, as well as research into it. Images, dynamic models and exhibited objects are among the ways these topics are presented. This brings together technical and historical aspects using a range of illustrative materials, alongside research findings. In terms of subject matter, this site therefore differs both from a historic urban district and from a presentation of handicrafts.

Scenery and distances in the surrounding area

The Grape Valley scenic area near Turpan is a gorge in the Flame Mountain area and is rated as a national 5A-level scenic area. The Buiyuluk River flows through the gorge. Its main source of water is snowmelt from the high mountains. The gorge, river and water source give the description of the landscape a concrete geographical context.

Karez Amusement Park is located in the second village of Yar Township, about five kilometers from the city of Turpan. The site is also just one kilometer from National Highway 312. The two distances refer to different starting points: the five-kilometer figure is from the city of Turpan, while the one-kilometer figure is from the national highway. This distinction helps clarify the location without equating the highway with the city limits.

Discover more destinations: Altay, Hami, Ili, Hetian, Bayingol, Kashgar, Aksu, Bortala

For the broader travel overview: Xinjiang.