Turfan (Uyg. تۇرپان, Chinese 吐鲁番, pinyin: Tulufán) is an urban district in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. The area is 69.3 thousand km². The county government is located in Gaochang District.

History
During the Han Empire, somewhere in the northwest of the current district, the principality of Guhu (孤胡) or Huhu (狐胡) was located with the headquarters of the prince in the Jushilu Valley (車師柳). Population: 55 families, 264 people, 45 warriors. Chinese administration: three officers. In the west, there was the principality of the early (southern) Cheshi (車師前國) with the capital in the city of Jiaohe (交河), that is, “both rivers” – the city was built on an arrow between two rivers, so that they cover the city from the east and west, from here and title. Population: 700 families, 6050 people, 1865 warriors. Chinese administration: two governors with the title of hou, 5 officers, 2 translators. In the east, the principality of Cheshi-Duwei (車師都尉國) Population: 40 families, 333 people, 84 warriors.
Under Han, Turfan was the principality that most supported the Xiongnu and opposed the advance of the Chinese to the west. In 45, Turfan voluntarily submitted to the Eastern Han. The hesitations of Emperor Han Guang Wu-di prompted Prince Turfan to re-establish an alliance with the Xiongnu. In the year 90, the Turfans again asked for Chinese citizenship, seeing that the Xiongnu were losing the war. In 97, the Chinese sent an army of 20,000 recruited Lianzhou qian against the Turfan prince Chjoti (涿鞮), captured the prince and 2,000 people captured. While trying to escape, Chjoti was beheaded. In 120, Turfan rebelled again, and in 125, Ban Yong defeated the Turfan prince and beheaded him. In 126, Jate (加特), the new prince of Turfan, assisted Ban Yong in the war against the Xiongnu. In 134 the Turfans (1500 warriors) helped to defeat the headquarters of the Northern Shanuy. In 135, the Xiongnu staged two raids on Turfan and, despite the actions of the troops of the ruler of Dunhuang, they were successful. In 153, the Turfan prince Alodo (阿罗多) decided to throw off Chinese rule, but another Turpan prince Tianzhenling (炭遮领) remained loyal to the Han, and Alodo and his family fled to the Xiongnu. Xiaowei Yangxiang (阎详) obtained Alodo’s pardon and returned him to Turfan for the sake of everyone’s safety.
After the collapse of the Xiongnu and the overthrow of the Han, relations between China and Turpan were interrupted. It is known that the Turfans were engaged in barter trade with the Rourans. In 424, Bei Wei Toba Dao sent envoys to Turfan, where they were caught by the Rourans and taken to Khan Uti. At the request of the Dao the ambassadors were released.
In 442, Turfan fell under the rule of Ukhoi, the Xiongnu prince of Northern Liang. With a small (about 5 thousand) army, having crossed the desert, Ukhoi was occupied by Turfan. The princely family fled to Harashar, where the Wei people began to support them in exchange for complete submission.
In July 1975, the Turpan and Toksun counties that were previously part of the Urumqi urban district and Pichan county, which was part of the Hami district, were formed Turfan district. In December 1984, Turfan County became an urban county.
On March 16, 2015, by the Decree of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, Turfan County was reorganized into an urban county; the former urban county of Turpan became the Gaochang District of the urban district of Turpan.