Astana Cemetery
阿斯塔那古墓群
A Jin and Tang tomb complex on the northern outskirts of Gaochang Ruins, yielding many documents, mummies and silk textiles. Known as an 'underground museum,' with open tomb chambers showing murals and mummies.
The Astana Cemetery lies about 6 km northwest of Gaochang Ruins. From the Western Jin to the Tang dynasty, it was the public cemetery for residents of Gaochang city, and several hundred tombs have been excavated. Turpan is extremely arid, so the tombs have preserved large quantities of paper documents, silk textiles, food (including dumplings and naan) and mummies. They are firsthand material for studying social life along the Silk Road, and the site is known as 'Turpan's underground museum.' Several tomb chambers are open. You can descend into the tomb passages to see murals and mummies preserved under glass, and stone figures of Fuxi and Nüwa stand on the grounds. The site is small, and one hour is enough. It is usually combined with Gaochang Ruins and the Flaming Mountains as a one-day eastern-route tour. The tomb chambers are narrow and stuffy. Most excavated artifacts are displayed at the Turpan Museum and the Xinjiang Museum.
Opening hours
Summer approx. 09:00–20:00 (Beijing time; check the scenic area's announcements)
Nearby sights
- Gaochang Ruins
- Flaming Mountains
- Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves
- Grape Valley
- Tuyoq Village
- Emin Minaret
- Aydingkol Lake
- Turpan Museum