The tomb of Astana, known as the underground historical Museum of Turpan, Astana means "capital" in Uygur language. The tombs are located 40 kilometers east of Turpan and 2 kilometers south of Gaochang Ancient City. The whole tombs are 5 kilometers long from east to west, 2 kilometers wide from north to south, and cover an area of 10 square kilometers. It is the public cemetery of the Gaochang kingdom between the Jin and Tang Dynasties. In 1985, it was listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit. Since liberation, there have been more than 10 large-scale excavations and cleaning work here, and more than 10,000 pieces of various cultural relics have been unearthed. Three burials are currently open to visitors.
