The name alone promises an unparalleled adventure: loosely translated, it means 'place of no return'. As the local story goes, the Taklamakan Desert was created by God for the imprisonment of a local Turcic man's youngest daughter, who lost the key to a great house of treasure, given to the people by God.

Vast numbers of mummies discovered in the Taklamakan Desert region show that Turcic, Chinese, Mongol and Tibetan peoples resided here at different times in the smattering of oasis towns. Despite the Taklamakan Desert's being a place made up almost completely of stormy, shifting sands, it was already inhabited at least 4000 years ago by the Tocharians.

Ancient Buddhist cities and temples containing priceless artefacts skirt the edges, most notably the carved grottoes at Dunhuang, labelled by archaeologists as the greatest single source of Buddhist art in the world.

Written by  larapiegeler.

Comments, reviews and questions

There are no posts. Why not be the first to have your say?

Add a comment, review or question

Review title
Your comment
Your rating
Your name
Your email address

 
 

Sponsored ads

  • Tour Asia

    Enriching exploration of secrets, treasures and traditions of Japan, China, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam or India on one of Tauck's fascinating tours

    www.tauck.com
  • China Highlights & Expo 2010

    China past and present - An extended 12 day tour of China highlights with a private guide, vehicle and driver. From $2766.

    www.kensingtontours.com
  • People of China: City to Country

    China your own way in 3 weeks. Walk the Great Wall, see the Terracotta Warriors, meet pandas and sail through Guilin karst mountains. From £1817 pp.

    www.chinatravelplan.co.uk
  • Bike Asia - Adventure Cycling

    Explore the very best of Asia's beautiful & remote scenery from Mongolia to tropical south east Asia with the adventure cycling specialists.

    www.bikeasia.com
  • Hotels in Beijing

    Design & Boutique Hotels. Great Rates, Reviews, Special Offers & Direct Online Booking !

    www.splendia.com
  • Advertise here

Who's been here

No travelers have told us they have been here. Have you?

Similar experiences

  • Sahara Desert

    The world's largest desert aside from Antarctica, the Sahara Desert is bounded in the North by the Atlas mountains and covers 8…

  • Kalahari Desert

    Extending from Botswana into areas of South Africa and Namibia, the Kalahari Desert's 900,000 square kilometers are unusually d…

  • Namib Desert

    Back-to-back with the Atlantic Ocean, the 50,000 square km African Namib Desert makes up a large part of the Namib-Naukluft Nat…

What's nearby

There are no experiences nearby

Related content

Subscribe to newsletter Add an experience Share