Lop Nur

Lop Nur which means a vast lake is a former salt lake in China, now largely dried-up. Located in the northeast of Ruoqiang County, Lop Nur is about 780 meters (2,560 feet) above sea level and covers an area of about 3,000 square kilometers (1,160 square miles). Once it was the second largest inland lake in China and an important station on the Silk Road.

The lake system into which the Tarim River and Shule River empty is the last remnant of the historical post-glacial Tarim Lake, which once covered more than 10,000 km2 (3,900 sq mi) in the Tarim Basin. Lop Nur is hydrologically endorheic— it is landbound and there is no outlet. The lake measured 3,100 km2 (1,200 sq mi) in 1928, but has dried up due to construction of dams which blocked the flow of water feeding into the lake system, and only small seasonal lakes and marshes may form. The dried-up Lop Nur Basin is covered with a salt crust ranging from 30 cm to 1 m in thickness.

In the broad sense, Lop Nur refers to the Lop Nur desert area which spans Xinjiang and Gansu Provinces. The Spectacle of the Gobi Desert and some historical sites are also scattered in this area, including the dragon-shaped Yadan Landscape, Rose-Willow Valley, the Peacock River, a dead forest of diversiform-leaved poplar (populus diversifolia), a Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD) beacon tower, the Sun Tombs, the Milan Farm and the Loulan Ancient City.

Situated on the northern bank of the Peacock River, the Sun Tombs have a history of about 3,800 years. Around each tomb are seven circles formed by wooden spikes pointing toward the sun. The tombs are full of mystery. No one knows who were buried there and where they were from.

The Loulan Ancient City is one of the great mysteries in Chinese history. It existed for only 400 years or so, disappearing in the 4th century. Its disappearance is still a riddle. The 'Loulan Beauty' (a female mummy), tombs and colorful coffins attract explorers, historians and visitors to the area.

Xioahe Tomb is also famous to people. The Xiaohe Tomb complex is located to the west of Lop Nur. This bronze-age burial site is an oblong sand dune, from which more than thirty well preserved mummies have been excavated. A total of 167 tombs have been dug up since the end of 2002 and excavations have revealed hundreds of smaller tombs built in layers, as well as other precious artifacts. In 2006, a valuable archeological finding was uncovered: a boat-shaped coffin wrapped in ox hide, containing the mummified body of a young woman. She was called “Princess Xiaohe” because she was found at Xiaohe. The most amazing thing is that her hair was preserved very well and people can see the smile on her beautiful face.

Lop Nur is a paradise for visitors who love adventure. There are some suggestions for the adventurers. First, go there in the middle of April and October to avoid strong sandstorms. Second bring enough food, water and necessary medicines. Last but not least，do not forget satellite phones, GPS or other communications tools

For more information, please visit http://top-chinatour.com