trailing only behind the Dead Sea. Mountains, some of which stand a few thousand meters tall, surround the basin. The mountains keep humid, cool air from entering the basin and trap heat in. The weather in the basin is extremely dry, with annual average precipitation of no more than 16 cm. Extreme heat and dryness cause high evaporation, making it difficult for big rivers to survive there.

The secret of survival

One might wonder how any human being can live in such hostile environment, but people do and have actually forged a colorful life out of the arid region. Turpan Basin is on the ancient Silk Road, a trade route through regions of the Asian continent connecting East and West Asia. Historical relics found here tell us about its past civilization. Today, the basin is home to more than half a million people of different ethnic groups, including Uygur, Han, Hui and Mongol.

The secret to Turpan's survival is the Kerez irrigation system, a network of wells connected by underground channels, which takes full advantage of the unique landscape.

Turpan Basin is composed of three rings of terrain: the first is towering snow-capped mountains, the second is the Gobi Desert and in the center is an oasis. The snow and ice on the mountains melt in warm seasons and feed into rivers. When the rivers arrive at the Gobi, they permeate through the sand, and become underground streams. The underwater streams flow along the slope into the lower land, forming springs, rivers, lakes and oases. The rivers are often seasonable and lose water to evaporation.

To keep rivers from drying out, local residents have dug wells and a network of underground channels to transport water used for irrigation. Turpan Basin is crisscrossed with about a thousand such channels.

The Kerez system nourishes booming agriculture in the basin. The area is particularly famous for grapes and honey melons. The rich and fertile soil, abundant sunlight and dry weather make fruits especially sweet.