Turpan water system

A model of the Turpan karez water system in Turpan Karez Paradise (museum): Water is collected from mountains and channeled underground to agriculture fields.

The Turpan water system or Turfan karez system Uyghur: كارىز, romanized: kariz) in Turpan, located in the Turpan Depression, Xinjiang, China, is a vertical tunnel system adapted by the Uyghur people. The word karez means "well" in the local Uyghur language.[1] Kariz Is derived from the Persian word, Kahriz, which is the word for the ancient Iranian Qanat aqueduct system. Turpan has the Turpan Karez Paradise museum (a Protected Area of the People's Republic of China) dedicated to demonstrating its karez water system, as well as exhibiting other historical artifacts.

Turpan's karez well system was crucial in Turpan's development as an important oasis stopover on the ancient Silk Road skirting the barren and hostile Taklamakan Desert. Turpan owes its prosperity to the water provided by its karez well system.[2]

  1. ^ "Karez Well". www.xj.gov.cn. Archived from the original on 2008-06-27. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference silkroadboul was invoked but never defined (see the help page).