The name Turpan first appeared in document in Ming dynasty. In Uyghur language, Turpan means “a fertile land.”

Turpan was called Gushi in ancient time. In West Han dynasty, it belonged to Cheshiqian Kingdom. The Emperor Yuan in Han dynasty sent two officers to govern the region. In North Wei dynasty, Turpan was subordinated to GaochangState. In Tang dynasty, the government established Anxi Frontier Command Headquarter here.

Later the Yuan government changed it into Uyghur Frontier Command Headquarter. In late Yuan dynasty, Liucheng County, Huozhou County and Turpan County were set up and each county had a senior officer. In Qianlong 44th year of Qing dynasty, the central government sent a Turpan Minister there and began to build Guang’an City (the current old city). Then in 1984, Turpan became a city officially.