46 kilometers (29 miles) southeast of Turpan near the "Flaming Mountains" seat an impressive ruins of the ancient city of Gaochang. Built in the first century B.C. called Gaochangbi, it used to be a garrison town and later became a key point along the ancient Silk Road. By the seventh century it held sway over 21 other towns. The practice of Buddhism led to the establishment of many monasteries and temples here. In the ninth century, the Uigur established the Kharakhoja Kingdom here and Manicheamism flourished. The city was burnt down around the 14th century, during a period of warfare lasting 40 years.

The ruins originally consisted of three parts: the inner and outer cities, and a palace complex. The outer city extended 5.4 kilometers (3.4 miles) long with 11.5-meter-(38-foot-) high and 12-meter-(40-foot-) thick enclosure walls. Some section of the tamped earth reinforced with adobe. Nine city gates were built on cardinal points, three in the south and two in each other three directions respectively. Visitors are usually suggested to enter the best preserved one in the west to the core.

The inner city is a 3-kilometer (1.86 miles) long rectangle of which the western and eastern sections are well preserved. In the northern part of the inner walls is the Palace City. It shared its southern wall with the inner city. A square adobe pagoda called "Khan's castle" which means "Imperial Palace" stands on a high terrace in the very north. Somewhat to its west a half-underground, two-storied structure was supposed to be the palace ruins. Several earthen platforms are still visible.

Two temple remains, one in the southwestern and other in the northwestern parts of the outer city are sightworthy. The first one, 130 meters (427 feet) long from east to west, 85 meters (279 feet) wide from south to north covers 10,000 square meters. It consists of an arched gate, courtyard, a lecture hall, a library of sutras, a main hall and the monks' dormitory. It is said that Xuanzang the renowned Buddhist monk of the Tang period had lectures here in the year of 628 on his way to India. The second is smaller but the murals remains are impressive.

The city was brought under the protection of the state in 1961.

Admission: 13 (RMB)