< Karez

Karez
  The Karez System, an irrigation system of wells connected by underground channels,
is considered as one of the three great ancient projects in China, the other two being
the Great Wall and the Grand Canal. There are in the Turpan area nearly one thousand
karez totaling 5000 kilometers in length.The structure of the karez basically consists
of wells, underground channels, ground canals and small reservoirs. In spring and summer,
a great mount of melting snow and rainfall flow down from the Bogda and Karawuquntag
mountains north and west of the Turpan Depression into the valleys and then seep into
the Gobi Desert. Taking advantage of the mountain slopes, the working people ingeniously
created the karez to draw the underground water to irrigate the farmland. The water in
karez will not evaporate in large quantities even under the scorching heat and fierce
wind, hence ensuring a stable water flow and gravity irrigation.As far back as the Han
dynasty, the karez was recorded in Shi Ji (The Historical Records) and then called "Well-
Canals". Most of the existing karezes in the Turpan area were built in the Qing dynasty
and in after years. Nowadays, large stretches of fertile land are still irrigated by
karezes. The Wudaolin karez and the karez in the Wuxing town are open to visitors.
          

             

            
          

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