Yanghai archaeological site & karez wells (Shanshan, Xinjiang)

Ref: 070706-2239     Date: 06-07-2007

Yanghai archaeological site was occupied circa 12th-1st centuries BC. The site, located south of the Flaming Mountains (background), comprised both settlement remains and cemeteries. The crater shaped structures in the foreground are karez wells. They channel meltwater from the Bogda Shan mountains (a branch of the Tian Shan - north of the Flaming Mountains) into the Turfan Basin where it can be used for irrigation and for domestic purposes. Evidence suggests that karez wells have been used in Turfan from around the 18th to the 21th centuries AD.