Visiting the Turpan Kariz underground water system had been both educational and interesting to learn how water was brought into this desert area from the mountains. There is a visitor center/museum at the entrance to the Kariz water system that contains a lot of history and information about this water system. From within the visitor center, there is spiral walkway down to the underground water channel - nice! In this underground water channel part of the Museum, you can actually see the water flowing from one of the old channels - water from the snow-covered mountains to the desert plain area. Quite interesting to see how this system actually works for bringing in the precious water to the surrounding desert area. The Turpan-Kariz Underground Water System is definitely a worthwhile place to visit and it does not take a lot of time to see the Museum and Underground System.

The Karez system was developed in ancient times to provide water to cities which were in arid areas. We viewed many of these systems during our travels through western China and Central Asia. Some of these systems were built in the 4th century BC and are still working today. The Karez Folk Custom Park, includes a museum, restaurant, uighur dwelling, gift shops and restaurants. We took a taxi here after visiting the Jiaohe Ancient City. It was a great place to cool down and have a meal. The ticket cost is RMB40. The self guided tour starts at the museum, where you can view the history and basic construction of the Karez system. You then walk along an underground path next to a water source which has sculptures and storyboards that explain the culture and importance of the karez system. This system is ranked as one of the top engineering projects in China, and is rated just below the Great Wall and Great canal. There are also statues of Lin Zexu and Zuo Zongtang. The importance of oil lamps, construction techniques and maintenance of the system will all be clear after this underground walk. After heading upstairs, the Karez exhibits are much fewer, but you will see a few wells that allow you to look below and appreciate the depth of the system, and the ancient techniques used to determine the levels for digging. There are a few displays on grape production before a path through quite a few gift shops. There are restaurants and f&b available on exit. It is easy to miss the model Uighur House to the right of the museum, and we thought that these displays were well done. This doesn't seem to be a popular part of the tour, as we were the only visitors here. After leaving the Folk Park, you can walk back to the main road (Xincheng Road) and take a bus or taxi into town. We thought that the park was excellent and gave us a better appreciation of the importance of the water system in such a dry area.