Turfan is a city in what is modern day Turpan, China, located on the northern part of the Taklamakan Desert and the city itself was located in the oasis.[1] Sogdian and Chinese migrants were the main inhabitants of the city; however, its population was largely mixed and included Syriacs and Uighurs.[2] Due to this Turfan became a very multiculural city. Chinese residents listened to the music that came from Iran music, while the traditional Sogdian swirl dance also became very popular. Despite this, Turfan still had much of a Chinese feel, so much so that the Sogdians referred to the city as the town of Chinese.[1]
“The Qu-family rulers, who came to power in 502, embraced Chinese cultural norms, and, like many Chinese rulers, patronized Buddhism”. The Chinese language was taught in schools, although many documents were translated into Sogdian or Kuchean. Paper was recycled from the city in order to make special clothing, including belts and shoes, for the dead to be buried in. Most people travelled into the city via caravans. When no travel bans were in place, one would acquire a travel pass in order to cross the border. Guides would then lead travelers through the difficult desert routes and away from any potential disasters or dangers.[1]
It is believed that Turfan probably fell under the control of either Marv or Samarkand city-states. This would be fair to assumme seeing that Samarkand held extremely close ties within the city, and how the inhabitants of both cities travelled back and forth from one another.Due to this constant migration Turfan also became a center for the Church of the East .As such the Church of the East was able maintain the significant presence the city of Turfan. According to Erica Hunter: “The monastic complex possibly provided a stopping point for travelers, since the northern route of the Silk Road, skirting the Tarim basin, passed through Turfan”. [2][2]
Syriac fragments that have been found in the city largely embody Christian biblical and lectionary texts, as well as the livelihoods of saints and other clergymen. In addition, according to the historian Mark Dickens those Christian texts not are a valuable source for reconstructing the history of the Christian Church in the region, but also to reconstruct the cultural and linguistic connection between the Syriac and Uighur people.[3] Those Through them we can see that much of the church’s beliefs and documents were spread out to the surrounding countries as one of the most central, cultural pieces that Turfan passed on throughout the northern route.
Through its connection to the Silk Road,the Syriac passages from Turfan were able to give a first-hand, detailed account of how the Church was centralized throughout the city. The Church’s message was also given the ability to spread their mission across a wider region due to the connections that Turfan built with the other border cities. Overall, Turfan was quite an popular destination on the Silk Road that offered a diverse culture and an expanded religious following for the Church the East.[2]
[1] Derived from: Valrie Hansen's The Silk Road: A New History with Documents 2016.
[2] Dervied from: Erica C.D. Hunter's journal article "Turfan: Connecting with Selesuia-Ctesiphon", 2021.
[3] Derived from: Mark Dickens' article “Syro-Uigurica II: Syriac Passages in U 338 from Turfan.”
Dickens, Mark. “Syro-Uigurica II: Syriac Passages in U 338 from Turfan.” Hugoye (Washington, D.C.), vol. 16, no. 1, 2014, pp. 301–24, https://doi.org/10.31826/hug-2014-160111.
Hansen, Valerie. The Silk Road: A New History with Documents (Oxford, 2016).
Hunter, Erica C.D., “Turfan: Connecting with Selecuia-Ctesiphon,” Entangled Religions 1 (2021), pp. 1–18.