Flaming Mountains
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The Flaming Mountains or Huoyan Mountains, are barren, eroded, red sandstone hills in the Tian Shan of Xinjiang. They lie near the northern rim of the Taklamakan Desert and east of the city of Turpan. Their striking gullies and trenches caused by erosion of the red sandstone bedrock give the mountains a flaming appearance at certain times of the day.
The Flaming Mountains
The Tian Shan with the Flaming Mountains at bottom
Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves on cliffs under the Flaming Mountains
Turpan Depression
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The Turpan Depression or Turfan Depression, is a fault-bounded trough located around and south of the city-oasis of Turpan, in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region in far Western China, about 150 kilometres (93 mi) southeast of the regional capital Ürümqi. It includes Lake Ayding, −154 metres (−505 ft), the second or third lowest depression on Earth.
By some measures, it is also the hottest and driest area in China during the summer.
The Turpan Depression, nestled at the foot of China's Bogda Shan Mountains.
Basin scene near Flaming Mountains
Ruins of Gaochang
Qingnian Lu, a Turpan city street shaded by grapevine trellises in China's Grape Valley