Turpan Museum

Turpan Museum
吐鲁番博物馆

Address: 1268 Munaer Road, Gaochang district, Turpan, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region
Hours: 10:00 -18:00, 15 April-15 Oct (No entry after 17:30)
10:30-18:00, 16 Oct-14 April (No entry after 17:30)
Closed: Monday
General admission: Free (Passport required for entry)

As a vital communication hub on the “Silk Road”, Turpan assembled traders and monks from both Western and Eastern countries. Thus, it is rich in multi-cultural relics, also due in part to its unique climate: torrid, dry, and rainless.

The museum houses more than 20,000 artifacts showcasing the history of Turpan. It has five basic exhibitions. The “General History of the Turpan Area” mainly displays selected cultural relics that have been unearthed or acquired through government allocation, private donation, or public solicitation since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. It contains the most complete giant rhinoceros skeleton ever excavated. Fossils of the rhinoceros and other creatures from the prehistoric age are displayed with the aid of pictures, models, short films, and videos in the Giant Rhinoceros Fossil Exhibition Hall.

The Documents Exhibition displays scripts and documents from the Sixteen Kingdoms Period (304-439) during the Jin Dynasty (265-420), to the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties (1271-1911). The Golden Coins Exhibition displays ancient coins found in nearby tombs and 35 silver coins of Sassanid Persia donated by a famous numismatician. The most mysterious and alluring part of the museum is the Ancient Mummy Exhibition. There are nine well-preserved mummies and one skeleton on display, including two couples and a Shaman witch. The earliest one is from 3,200 years ago. Accessories include burial objects, mural paintings, replicas of graves, and silk paintings.