We didn’t see Marco Polo but Kathy & I saw many interesting people and sites as we traveled down the Silk Road area last October. Our group of China Teachers from BYU started in far western China, less than a day’s drive from Pakistan on the south and Kazakhstan on the north.
The Gobi Desert, not quite what we expected. There were 100’s of wind generators. The Moslem influence is so strong the signs, government & business, are in Chinese and Arabic.
The desert is so dry the Jiaohe Ruins near Turpan City still exist after being abandoned about a 1,000 years ago. Jiaohe was a military outpost that marked the beginning of the Silk Road in China.
The Uyghurs created a way to beat the desert. They dug underground canals from the mountains surrounding Turpan. Evaporation was greatly reduced by remaining underground. The Uyghurs dug over 1,100 shafts into the canals to supply water for travelers and to furnish water to grow crops.
The water still flows and is quite cool despite being in the middle of the desert below sea level.
Turpan is now the grape capital of China, and some (Chinese) say of the world. The grapes are tasty.
The door is an example of the Moslem influence in the area. I don’t what the guy arm wrestling is an example of.
John's Journeys - miscellaneous meandering muses 