Tuyoq Valley

Tuyoq Valley

Tuyoq Valley is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

Tuyoq Valley is located within Shanshan County, approximately 55 kilometers east of Turpan City. It was once a sacred site for both Buddhism and Islam. The Thousand Buddha Caves of Tuyoq: Traveling 15 kilometers east along the southern foothills of the Flaming Mountains from Shengjinkou will bring you to the Thousand Buddha Caves of Tuyoq. There are a total of 94 caves, 45 of which still exist — 21 on the eastern side of the valley and 24 on the western side.

　The Tuyoq Grand Canyon is one of the most mysterious places in the west and a convergence point of the historical and cultural heritage of many world-renowned religions. Today, the Thousand Buddha Caves of Tuyoq and the Khoja Mazar of Tuyoq stand as powerful testimonies. Tuyoq Mazar Village, designated as a “China Historical and Cultural Famous Village,” is the oldest surviving Uyghur village in Xinjiang, with a history of over 1,700 years. It still preserves the most ancient Uyghur folk customs and is known as a “living fossil of folklore.” The ancient earthen buildings in the village still shine with the glow of “yellow clay culture.” It is a sacred site revered by Muslims at home and abroad, a resting place for scholars in religious, historical, cultural, and artistic fields, and a dreamy home for painting and photography artists. It was also the filming location of the Best Children’s Film at the 41st Berlin International Film Festival, “Drummer from the Flaming Mountains.” The scenic area of Tuyoq Grand Canyon Folk Culture Tourism Zone was historically known as Dinggu. This scenic area has long been famed for its steepness, ruggedness, wonder, and serenity. It mainly consists of four parts: canyon scenery, the Thousand Buddha Caves, the Mazar, and the ancient village.

(1) Scenery of the Tuyoq Grand Canyon.

The canyon stretches 8 kilometers from Subexi Village near National Highway 312 (where the Subexi Cultural Ruins, one of Xinjiang’s three major ancient cultures, are located at the northern mouth of the grand canyon) in the north to the entrance of the ancient Mazar Village in the south, with an average width of about 1 kilometer. The highest peak of the Flaming Mountains is located within the grand canyon, reaching an elevation of 831.7 meters. The grand canyon cuts longitudinally through the Flaming Mountains from north to south.

The distinctly colored mountain rock formations are clearly visible, and the wonders of nature are astounding. Walking along the path allows you to enjoy the magical and magnificent canyon scenery. The peril of its peaks, the strangeness of its mountains, the majesty of its rocks, the beauty of its colors, the elegance of its streams, and the sweetness of its fruits are rarely seen in other canyons.

(2) The Thousand Buddha Caves of Tuyoq.

Located in the middle section of the canyon, these caves were carved during the Two Jin Dynasties and the Sixteen Kingdoms period and are one of the three famous Buddhist grottoes in Xinjiang. They were among the first batch of provincial-level cultural relics protection units announced by the autonomous region in 1957. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Tuyoq Caves were one of the most important Buddhist sites managed by the ruling elite of the Gaochang Kingdom. By the Tang Dynasty, the Buddhist caves on both sides of the Tuyoq Grand Canyon had further developed, and the art of Buddhist murals within each cave had reached a new stage. According to the Tang Dynasty document “The Illustrated Scripture of Xizhou,” unearthed from the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, Tuyoq at that time was described as a paradise on earth. The “Illustrated Scripture of Xizhou” describes it as follows: “In Tuyoq, temples are spread along the mountain terrain, backed by towering peaks, overlooking clear streams, surrounded by green trees. Buddhist temples and meditation monasteries are densely clustered, with the sounds of Buddhist music lingering, incense smoke rising continuously, and monks gathering in great numbers. Deep in the valley, it is hard to see the sun or moon.”

Over the more than 1,700 years since the carving of the Tuyoq Thousand Buddha Caves, they have undergone two phases: human destruction and natural collapse. There are currently 94 caves, with 46 numbered ones, and only 8 caves still retain murals. The surviving cave murals still showcase the splendor of ancient civilization and attract the attention of scholars and experts in Buddhist history and art from around the world today. They serve as historical evidence and physical materials for studying China’s Buddhist literature, Buddhist art history, and ancient architectural history, possessing immeasurable historical and artistic value.

The Tuyoq Thousand Buddha Caves were historically known as the “Dinggu Temple” and are among the earliest cave temples built in the Turpan region, preserving a relatively large number of early murals. The earliest caves appeared during the Jin and Sixteen Kingdoms periods. The period when the Juqu family ruled as kings (443–450 AD) marked the most prosperous era of Buddhism in Tuyoq.

Due to the looting by imperialists and human destruction, over 90% of the Tuyoq murals have been destroyed and lost. Today, only 8 caves still have a small number of murals with Uyghur inscriptions remaining. Among them, Caves 1, 2, 3, and 4 feature Buddha statues seated on Hu beds, which are unique in all of China. Some fragments of Buddhist scriptures have also been unearthed here.

(3) The Khoja Mazar of Tuyoq.

It is the first famous ancient religious relic visitors encounter upon entering the southern valley entrance. Its full name is the Aysheb Kaihaifu Mazar, commonly known as the “Tomb of the Saint,” and it is said to be over 1,300 years old.

Legend has it that in the early 7th century, after the founding of Islam by Muhammad, his disciple and missionary from the ancient Kingdom of Yemen, Yemunaiha, came to China with five followers to preach. After enduring many hardships, they finally traveled eastward to Tuyoq. With the help of a local shepherd who had a dog, Yemunaiha and the six of them settled here to continue their preaching, and Islam began to flourish in Tuyoq. Later, after Yemunaiha and the other five, along with the first Chinese person to convert to Islam (the shepherd), passed away, they were buried in a cave, which is now the Tuyoq Mazar.

According to the writings of the German explorer von Le Coq, until the early 20th century, Muslims from Turkey, India, and other countries still traveled here. Today, Muslim pilgrims from all over the southern and northern parts of Xinjiang, Ningxia, Qinghai, Gansu, Turkey, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan come here to worship every year. It is a prominent Islamic holy site in Xinjiang and an important historical witness to the rise and fall of Buddhist culture and the prevalence of Islam.

The Tuyoq Mazar is considered the foremost Islamic holy site in China, or the “Mecca of China.” According to local Muslims, one must visit the Tuyoq Mazar before making the pilgrimage to Mecca. According to Le Coq, Muslims from Turkey and India still made pilgrimages here until the early 20th century. Today, Muslims from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Germany, Turkey, and other places come here for pilgrimage in an endless stream.

(4) The Ancient Village of Tuyoq.

It is an ancient and tranquil Uyghur village located in the valley at the southern exit of the grand canyon, with a history of over 1,700 years. It is the oldest surviving Uyghur village in Xinjiang to date. The village is distributed around a mosque with green towers and has about 200 households. This village fully preserves the ancient Uyghur traditions and folk customs. People often rest at sunrise and work at sunset, communicate in the ancient Uyghur language, wear the most distinctive ethnic clothing, and still use classical donkey carts to visit relatives and friends.

The faces of the elderly, youth, and children living here are always filled with calm, contentment, and happiness, giving off an impression of simplicity, leisure, and a life free from worldly strife.

In this ancient village, residents have inherited the traditional habit of building houses with yellow clay for over two thousand years. Some buildings still bear traces of the fusion of Buddhist and Islamic cultures. The houses are all built with yellow clay adobe, varying in size, height, and number of stories — some are single-story, others have two or more floors, and some stand independently while others are connected along the mountain slope. Their characteristics are cost-effective and provide warmth in winter and coolness in summer.

Transportation Guide: If you hire a car to go to Tuyoq, your stay may be shorter. Another option is to take a long-distance bus between Turpan and Shanshan and get off at Tuyoq. If you’re too tired on the first day of your trip, you can stay overnight in Turpan City, where there are two gas stations. Then proceed to Tuyoq on the second day. Food Recommendations: The cuisine in Turpan is almost the same as in Urumqi, offering everything from northern Han-style noodles to Cantonese and Sichuan dishes, as well as local Uyghur snacks and Islamic halal food. If you ask people who have been to Turpan what their favorite or most memorable food is, their answer is likely to be grapes and other fruits. There, you can often have grapes or other fruits as a main dish, eating them as you walk — this “fruit feast” is a unique feature of Turpan. Additionally, the halal restaurant in the Silk Road Oasis Hotel serves very tasty food with local characteristics and at moderate prices. Recommended dishes include stir-fried grilled meat, stir-fried skewered meat, and caramelized Hami melon.