It is an agricultural center producing cotton and cotton textiles, silk, wheat, grapes, dried fruit, and wine. Oil is in the area. Turpan is the chief town of the Turpan depression, the lowest point (505 ft/154 m below sea level) in China.

The depression was the center (A.D. 200-400) of a flourishing civilization in which Indian and Persian elements were combined. This civilization was later absorbed by the Uigurs, who had their capital at nearby Gaochang (9th-13th cent.). Also nearby are the ruins of the ancient city of Jiaohe and the Bezeklik cave temples. Archaeological finds made in the early 20th cent. include much Nestorian literature and the bulk of the extant Manichaean literature.

Turfan Prefecture

Turfan Prefecture (simplified Chinese: 吐鲁番地区; pinyin: Tulufán Dìqū; Uyghur: تۇرپان ۋىلايىتى) is located in eastern Xinjiang, China. It has a area of 69,324 km² and a population of 570,000 (2003).

Demographics

According to the 2000 Census, of its inhabitants, 70.01% are Uyghur, 23.3% are Han, 6.38% are Hui, with the remainder belonging to other nationalities.

Subdivisions

Turfan Prefecture directly controls 1 county-level city and 2 counties.