The Taklamakan desert covers 338,00 square kilometers in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in northwest China[1]. It is the largest desert in China and the second largest sand sea in the world. It is surrounded by some of the world’s tallest mountain ranges with the Pamir to the west, the Altun Shan to the south, and the Tian Shan to the north. Only two rivers, the Hotan He and the Yarkan He, cross the desert year-round. Other rivers and streams reach into the desert with seasonal flooding from snowmelt in the surrounding mountains[4]. Many rivers of the Taklamakan have shrunk or died out completely however, there is evidence that these rivers were once wide enough and deep enough for the passage of boats carrying heavy cargo[2]. The Taklamakan is a globally significant source of dust. Desert storm events transport dust as far as the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, North America, and Greenland. It influences regional as well as global climate through the scattering of solar radiation and it's changing of cloud properties[3].
In the Uyghur language Taklamakan translates to “you can get in but can never get out”[5]. The desert is one of the most inhospitable environments on earth, so it is understandable that most travelers would circumnavigate it by either the northern or southern routes. Guides would need to be highly knowledgeable about the difficult terrain for a successful crossing. The sun was less harsh in the winter months, but in the summer, there was less snow in the mountain passes. Travelers on the Silk Road needed to wait in an oasis town on the edge of the desert to carefully plan their passage. Waiting and planning could take weeks or longer, making it an extremely long journey[6]. Most caravans did not make this long trek, instead they traded with the next closest oasis. The people who most likely made the entire crossing were emissaries from distant countries[7]. The oasis communities were not very large, with only a few thousand inhabitants at most. They were interconnected and relied on each other for trade. These communities were also ethnically diverse[8].
In recent years oil fields have cropped up in the desert. To make transportation and travel easier the, Chinese government has sponsored the construction of two roads running north and south through the desert[5]. These oasis communities that ring the Taklamakan have produced amazing archaeological finds. The desert’s dry climate has preserved many artifacts that have been crucial in understanding the regions history. The bulk of these artifacts have been found in oasis settlements on the fringes of the desert in places like Xinjiang, Khotan, Dunhuang, and Turfan [7]. The desert has preserved desiccated bodies of the buried as well as the clothing they wore. This has allowed researchers a rare chance to examine the people and culture of the ancient Taklamakan. Other notable finds are the documents that have been discovered in the settlements on the edges of the desert. These written documents are essential to understanding who and what was traveling the Silk Road.
[1] Baumer, "The Ayala Mazar-Xiaohe Culture: New Archaeological Discoveries in the Taklamakan Desert, China”, 50.
[2] Baumer, "The Ayala Mazar-Xiaohe Culture: New Archaeological Discoveries in the Taklamakan Desert, China”, 53.
[3] rittner, “The Provenance of Taklamakan Desert Sand”, 127.
[4] rittner, “The Provenance of Taklamakan Desert Sand”, 128.
[5] Su-il, "The Silk Road Encyclopedia", 857.
[6] Hansen, "The Silk Road: A New History", 9.
[7] Hansen, "The Silk Road: A New History", 10.
[8] Hansen, "The Silk Road: A New History", 16.
Baumer, Christoph. “The Ayala Mazar-Xiaohe Culture: New Archaeological Discoveries in the Taklamakan Desert, China.” Asian affairs (London) 42, no. 1 (2011): 49–69.
Hansen, Valerie. The Silk Road : A New History. Oxford: Oxford University Press USA - OSO, 2012.Rittner, Martin, Pieter Vermeesch, Andrew Carter, Anna Bird, Thomas Stevens, Eduardo Garzanti, Sergio Andò, et al. “The Provenance of Taklamakan Desert Sand.” Earth and planetary science letters 437 (2016): 127–137.
Su-il, Jeong. "The Silk Road Encyclopedia." Irvine, CA: Seoul Selection, 2017.