The use of historical sources in a multi-layered methodology for karez research in Turpan, China

In this article, we will present an overview of possible research methods to handle historical sources, in the specific case of karez landscapes. A karez system is an underground water collection system, prevalent in the Turpan basin of China. Sources and the associated methodology have become more important today, because of contemporary issues such as modernisation, urbanisation and agricultural expansion. These problems make it harder to read the landscape, which is why we have to start extracting our data from maps, reports, photographs, and satellite imagery. We will give a short overview of sources, each with an explanation of their processing method. Despite certain cautions that should be taken into account, these methods clearly complement the current state of knowledge on the Turpan karez. As this paper is part of a special issue, Water History in the time of COVID-19, it has undergone modified peer review.