Loulan Kingdom

Loulan ( other names: Lao -lan, Leou -lan, Glu -lan, Kharosthi: Kroraimna, Kroraina, Raurata, Rooran ) is in the circle Qakilik (若羌 县), about 230 km north-east of the seat of county government, the greater community Ruoqiang ( 若羌 镇), in the Mongolian Autonomous County Bayingolin belonging to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Loulan in ancient times was an oasis town in the desert of Lop Nor on the northwestern shore of Lake Lop Nor, the seat of a kingdom and later a Chinese garrison town. The city lay on the middle route of the Silk Road and was the last oasis before the desert.

History

In northwest China started around the year 200 BC, a period of high temperatures and heavy rainfall, which was replaced by the 5th century by a period of prolonged drought and drought. From 200 BC, the rivers, leading up to their water Lop Nor were to wide streams that desalinated salt water of the lake Lop Nor, it flooded over the lakeshore and large wetlands created that could be used for agriculture.

Therefore, the climate change resulted from 200 BC to town foundations in Loulan, Miran, Haitou, Yingpan, Merdek and Qakilik ( = Ruoqiang ). Among these cities Loulan had with her ​​kingdom Shanshan due to the location on the central Silk Road a dominant role until the royal family was overthrown by the Chinese Empire, now himself controlled the Silk Road and it provided protection with signal towers along the Great Wall against raids of the Xiongnu. The object of the inhabitants of Loulan was to provide the travelers on the Silk Road with water and provisions.

Loulan, which was next to a river and as an outpost of the Chinese experienced an economic boom, was abandoned around 330 together with other settlements on the Kum- daria lack of water. The cause was the onset of climate change, which meant that the rivers and river oases dried up and that in Loulan by now was a lack of fresh water; previously been suggested that the frequent earthquakes here directed the Tarim in a different direction. The average Silk Road north of the lake Lop Nor was henceforth impassable, and the population in the Lop Nor desert decreased rapidly.

The city of Loulan was first BC in a letter from the Xiongnu 176 - mentioned ruler Mao Tun Chanyu to the Chinese Emperor Wendi. A report from the year 126 BC, Loulan is derived from the Chinese diplomat Zhang Qian, who until 123 BC explored on behalf of the Chinese Emperor Wudi the Silk Road 139. He told of a city with about 14,000 inhabitants, and wrote: " The areas of Loulan and Gushi have a mounded mounded city and suburbs; they lie on the salt marsh. "

On March 28, 1900, the Swedish explorer Sven Hedin reached Loulan. He discovered the ruins of the 340 x 310 m wide, surrounded by a wall, the former royal city and later Chinese garrison town of Loulan with the brick buildings of the Chinese military commander, one mentioned by Sven Hedin Stupa signal tower of the Great Wall of China on the Silk Road and 19 constructed of poplar wood houses. In early March 1901 he found during archaeological digs a wooden wheel came (called " Araba " ) from a horse-drawn carts, and 276 written documents of the years 252-310 from wood, paper and silk, the information reported on the history of the city of Loulan.

Christoph Baumer found in 1994 about 5 km south of the town of Loulan a large former orchard. He writes: " In front of us over 20 are long rows of withered fruit trees, which must date from the 4th century AD. Probably it is to apricot trees. "

Great Wall of China and the Silk Road

The average Silk Road ran from Dunhuang on Yumenguan on a not exactly clarified route through the Lop Nor desert and the encrusted lake basin north of the Lop Nur Lake of the fortresses " LJ ", " Tuken " and " LE " to " Loulan " ( "LA "= Loulan station) and from Loulan on the northern shore of the then southerly extending Kum Darya and the Konqi about Yingpan to ten signal towers along to Korla. This middle section of the Silk Road was used from about 120 BC until the year 330 mainly in winter because water supplies could be transported in freezing in the form of blocks of ice. An alternative was from the 2nd century in the northern Silk Road. She avoided the dreaded desert of Lop Nor, by leading direction to Turfan in front of Dunhuang in northwest. In Kashgar, they united with the southern Silk Road.

Since the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD ) ensured signal towers ( = towers ) for the orientation and safety of travelers on the central Silk Road. Ruins of signal towers of the Great Wall that accompanied the Silk Road, were found in the desert of Lop Nor in the following locations: in Miran; 45 km south of Loulan (name of fort: " LK" ); 20 km northeast of Merdek the " Thin Man River "; on the northern and north-western edge of the lake Lop Nor (names of fortresses: " LJ ", " Tuken ", " LF", "LE ", " LA " = Loulan ); in Yingpan and from there to the west on the north bank of the Kum Darya and the Konqi in dense intervals to Korla and " Charchi ". After drying of the lake Lop Nor the southern Silk Road was used from 330; it led from Dunhuang south of Lop Nor lake about Miran after Qakilik; this route used Marco Polo.

There was also a road from Miran after Loulan, connecting the middle and the southern Silk Road. On this road was 45 km south of the fortress Loulan " LK" to the west of it lying settlements " LL ", " LM" and "LR". North of " LK" went through this road an area with Yardangs.

Another road led may or Miran Ruoqiang ( = Qakilik ) over the fortress Merdek and the " Thin Man River " on the local signal tower over to the " middle silk road " on the river Kum Darya.

Expeditions to Loulan

The following expeditions led by Loulan: