Turpan Culture

Overview
Turpan is a bridge between East and West. The city is home to over 200 historical ruins. It is also one of the two largest centers of Uighur culture, which has its own unique cuisine, music, folk dances, religious customs and architecture.

Food
Turpan food is pretty rich. Not only are Sichuan cuisine and Cantonese cuisine here and there, but snacks of Uighur flavour and Islamic food enjoy great popularity in folks.

Clothing
70% of population in turpan are uighurs. Uygur like to wear cotton clothes. Typically, men wear gowns while women prefer to wear one-piece dresses. Many decorations such as ear rings, bracelets, necklace and so on are women's favorite. Vibrantly colored and embroidered caps are an important component of their dress.

Religion
Turpan was the converging place of oriental and western culture as well as the intricacy of religions. Before Islam established a firm grip on central Asia, the Uyghurs practiced Buddhism, Manicheanism, Nestorian Christianity, and other religions. Turpan is a city where majority population are Uyghurs and they are Muslims. Therefore it is very easy for Muslims to travel around Turpan, mosques and Halal restaurants can be found everywhere.

Local Uyghur Dancing & Singing
Most Uyghur customs and traditions stem out of Islam. However, Uyghurs are different from a lot of Muslims in that they really love dance and music and that women perform publicly. They don't usually cover their faces. Uyghur musical ensembles are popular.