Situated at a willow leaf like loess plateau 13 kilometers (about 8 miles) west of the Turpan in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the Ancient Town of Jiaohe is the world’s largest, oldest and best preserved earthen city. The city was built in 200 BC by people of Cheshi State. It reached its height of civilization in the Northern and Southern Dynasties and Tang Dynasty. Then it was abandoned at the end of the Yuan Dynasty due to warfare in the Turpan area.