20261002 Ezra - Persian Empire & Engineering wrt Turpan Tuyugou and Karez wells

 

2/10/26 Interesting Ezra - The Persian Empire & Engineering and Jews Return and Wars

Happened to read Ezra this morning. Only 10 chapters about the history about 3000 years ago.  KIng Cyrus and Darius time in Persia ( now Iran) allowing for the return of the Jews to rebuild  the temple in Jerusalem. 

Well the war of modern day Iran- Israel now ongoing. Escalated in fact with our SQ no longer flying to Dubai till end of the year due to uncertainty 

But was was captivating was that while reading , couldn’t help but recalling this ancient city of the Uyghurs In Tuyugou in Turpan In Xinjiang and the amazing Karez Wells systems!

Being on site at Turpan to witness this engineering system and the old village of the Uighurs was an eye opener. 

Now on further research? The Karez wells actually was from the Persian empire! They call it QANAT. But the Chinese now call it 坎儿井。awesome underground gravity water systems!

What was surprising was that it was written! Darius the great put into law “ anyone who builts Qanats gets 5 generation of tax free on that land. So Persians dug 37000 plus Qanats across the empire”! The Karez wells in Turpan was 5272km plus  long too! Longer than the Great Wall? !Majority found in Turpan Xinjiang. 

Well well. Persia now Iran. Renamed in 1973? Still ongoing wars. Hmm Ezra recorded Cyrus the founder of Persian empire. Funny the king allowed the Jews to return to rebuild the temple. Yet today - the conflict of Israel and Iran continues. Wonder if Cyrus did not allow such return , perhaps history might change? 

Just some musings that coincided with the Karez wells and Tuyugou ancient and Jiao He ruins.

A bit of Bible reading and history coming alive

20260927 Reflections of Xinjiang

Visiting only North Xinjiang

My First lamb cuddling!

My awesome rainbow sighting At Sayram Lake!

My snow at top of Tian Shan along DUKu Road! My first experience of summer, spring ,autumn and Winter journey of this DUKu Road that cuts thru Tianshan from Nalati Grassland side to Urumuqi! 200km but took more than 5 hours with the 4 seasons from valleys to mountain top! 😆 

My rejection of horse riding due to 60  past! So paid RMB20 for just the photo and me on the horse! Sian!

My first cotton plant touch！Amazing fields of them! Best up close and personal! TO touch! 

MY first understanding of how raisins were dried in the ancient days too!

My first e scooter riding？

 THe amazing record of Genesis found in Jiao HeRuins in Turpan ! The Bible of Creation is TRUE!!!

MY first witness of the amazing Karez wells or Qanat systems In Turpan! Actually after I came back to read more? This a Karez originated from Persia now Iran! Amazing “technology” that save the lives of many - the source of life of this water system 

And I saw how the sheep and goats and cows walk on the slopes of the mountains! They made amazing lines like this! GOsh! What a track! 😂 

Well well. Xinjiang is vast. 

I have never seen so many sheep goats cow horses camels all over the place! Herded by mainly their minority tribe of the Kazakhs. They are wealthy owners of such flock! A sheep may cost RM2k, a cow RMB20k but a horse is minimum RMB30k to over 100k depending on breed! So the Bible during the time of Abraham? HE was rich as he owned so many of such flock!  RIghtly so? Our Father in Heaven is the true owner of such assets. Like the grazing rights given to feed on the land by the government, we do not really “Own” this flock or our possessions. 😂

WInd Farms in Xinjiang ! Oh wow!

All over the place with the power of wind!

Journeying thru the car and train, yes the unseen wind. The spirit of God. We cannot see the wind. 

But yet when those wind turbines turn? BIg and small ones? The wind is expressed thru such turns!

OH what an energy!

What is the feeling like standing on the tip of Altay Mountains and overlooking the 4 countries? RUssia. CHina. Kazastan and Mongolia?  😂 The FEELINg of • ON TOP OF THE WORLD?”

Last but not least? MY first time loving to eat MUTTON! XInjiang maa maa is delicious! Cos they grazed on mountain grass! Overcame the fear of MUTTON! YEAH!

 

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MY little moments in Land of of X

20260925 D12: Turpan - Tuyugo/ Jiao He Ruins & Karez wells!

 25/9/26

Left Urumqi for Turpan. 

1. This highway route boasts of long stretch their Wind farms !

2. ⁠interesting Grape drying houses along the road. Cos Turpan is a Grape City

3. ⁠Turpan is very hot in summer ! HOw Flaming Mountains got its name and the filming of the Sunwukong crossing this mountain. 

4. ⁠More interesting is their ancient city called Tuyugou. The home of the Uighurs. The canals built around their homes are from the Karez wells

5. ⁠Karez wells and irrigation system was a well thought out by the Turpan people for survival in ancient times. The place was just too hot. Evaporation rate of water high. Hardly any rainfall. Yet they managed to grow grapes thru this irrigation method! And they stayed alive !

6. ⁠The other ancient ruins  we went is Jiao He. But this one was built below the clay area. Sunken ancient  city to avoid the heat!

7. ⁠Urumuqi-Turpan by car took us more than 3 hours. So we decided to buy a train ticket back for RMB78 first class today. ( standard is 48) To cut travel time by 1/2.  To see Urumqi city a bit more before we return to spore Tomo!

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Tuyugou!

25/9/26

Left Urumqi for Turpan. 

1. This highway route boasts of long stretch their Wind farms !

2. ⁠interesting Grape drying houses along the road. Cos Turpan is a Grape City

3. ⁠Turpan is very hot in summer ! HOw Flaming Mountains got its name and the filming of the Sunwukong crossing this mountain. 

4. ⁠More interesting is their ancient city called Tuyugou. The home of the Uighurs. The canals built around their homes are from the Karez wells

5. ⁠Karez wells and irrigation system was a well thought out by the Turpan people for survival in ancient times. The place was just too hot. Evaporation rate of water high. Hardly any rainfall. Yet they managed to grow grapes thru this irrigation method! And they stayed alive !

6. ⁠The other ancient ruins  we went is Jiao He. But this one was built below the clay area. Sunken ancient  city to avoid the heat!

7. ⁠Urumuqi-Turpan by car took us more than 3 hours. So we decided to buy a train ticket back for RMB78 first class today. ( standard is 48) To cut travel time by 1/2.  To see Urumqi city a bit more before we return to spore Tomo!

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Oh Turpan!

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20260924: D10 Kuitun & Tian Ci?

This is Kuitun city. Over 200k population.  Both directions are 4 lanes!! FOUR! And both sides have e-scoot plus grand dad cars lanes! Very well planned city. Clean. Neat. Lined with trees!!!! Think not congested    Cannot imagine 4 lanes each direction! Gosh

 

 24/9/26

After visiting Sayram lake ? Think can actually skip this Heavenly Lake which is about 2 hours from Urumqi. Smaller lake on top of the Tian Shan range. 😂 cos travelling up to the mountain top needs the bus and the cable car again. That itself took about An hour. So this place can skip !

Whatever, Xinjiang is just too big! Entering into Urumuqi yesterday was an eye opener! Despite its 6 lane for each directions? There was still a jam of half hour or more entering into the city centre due to peak hours!

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20260923 D10 DUKu ! 4 seasons!

 23/8/26 : The Duku Road

Only opened for 3 mths from June to mid Oct 

Long 500km plus. But we only did the 200km cutting across Nalati grassland thru their Tian Shan to Kuitun passing by their Duksanzi canyon. 

The Duku scenery changes 4 seasons from base in green to Snow White at peak. Quite a view! Took us 5 hours to cross over with times for stop views. A bit like NZ this time. The cows and horses definitely have their great time here grazing. Huge huge huge place. 

Arriving at the Duksanzi canyon , we were reminded of our age! lol. Earlier at Kanas? We could not ride the horses!   PAst 60! Here at the canyon? We were banned from taking the slide! What a reminder of being a SENOIR!!! 😢 😂 

Well well. Got to accept this great 60 over! 

The Nalati grassland was huge. We decided to cable up again to hv another aerial view before we leave. Unlikely to come back again yah

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Beautiful DUKu!