There are many views on the meaning of “Dunhuang” among academics today that differ if the analysis assumes that this name has its source in Chinese, Tibetan, Northern Qiang, or Tocharian language. This long unsolved mystery can be elucidated by looking at the five early place names that existed before Emperor Wu of the Western Han dynasty established the four prefectures of Hexi. They are Heli Shan（Heli Mountain）, Heishui （Black Water）, Qilian Shan（Qilian Mountain）, Yanzhi Shan （Yanzhi Mountain）, and Dunhuang. Four of these can be confirmed to derive from the Turkic language: Heli, or “Qara,” means “high,” and Heli together with Shan refer to high mountains; Heishui, or “QaraSu,” means “clear water;” Qilian, or “Tängri,” means “sky;” and Yanzhi, or “yänggä,” means “sister-in-law,” which refers to the queen of the Xiongnu people and is still used in modern Uighur language. Judging from what can be seen in historical records of the language used by local people, the ethnic groups that successively lived in Dunhuang, including the Yuezhi, Wusun and Xiongnu, all spoke ancient dialects of Turkic. This indicates that Turkic was the dominant language system in the Hexi region at that time, and therefore the name of “Dunhuang” is likely derived from Turkic. The word “tawuz” in Turkic means “melon” or “water melon,” and Dunhuang was famous for producing melons in ancient times and was even known as Guazhou（“region of melons”），for a long time. To explain Dunhuang as a transliteration of the Turkic word “tawuz” seems closer to the real meaning of the original name of Dunhuang. “Dunhuang” was first the name of an area famous for producing melons and was later used to refer to the Dunhuang oasis region that served as theseat of Dunhuang Prefecture.
