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"The Desert of Death", "The Desert Into which He who Enters Will Not Return", "The Abandoned Place". The Taklamakan Desert does not attract by reputation; it is an infamous expanse whose name seems to have as many translations as the number of ancient cities over whom its sands have long since formed a shroud. One of the largest 'shifting' deserts in the world, it once formed the greatest obstacle to be found along the Silk Road and fearful Caravaneers of old would skirt its edges, to the north or to the south, as they transported their wares from oasis to oasis and on to Khotan, Kashgar or Chang-an. Even then it was not unusual for entire Caravans to disappear into the dust storms that would oft-times blow up and from which mysterious music was said to lure travellers away to their deaths. Despite its reputation however the rarely-visited interior of the desert and particularly the area covered by our expedition is considered to be one of the most mesmerizingly beautiful sights in the East and surreal with an unearthly intensity beyond the city-dweller's imagination. As well as towering sand dunes and lost cities there are found occasionally the remains of ancient forests and post-fluvial riverbeds hiding amidst the hauntingly attractive desert vistas. 

Many centuries ago, before an earlier bout of climate change stymied the life-giving glacial melt that thundered down from the Kunlun Mountains, ancient Buddhist Kingdoms thrived far beyond what has now become the desert's edge.  It was in search of their remains that, in the early years of our last century, the quintessential Silk Road archaeologist and desert explorer Sir Aurel Stein ventured deep into the Taklamakan - and, despite its name, came out to tell his amazing tale. On this pioneering, and to some extent exploratory, expedition The Oriental Caravan will retrace some of the journey undertaken by Stein and visit some of the remote sites from which his discoveries brought so much excitement to the archaeological world. Our trek in particular will allow us to explore the important Tibetan fort at Mazartagh where Stein's discovery of 'woodslips' gave invaluable insight into the administrative system that underpinned the then dominant Tibetan Empire.

As well as visiting the most important cities and sites around its perimeter this trip should prove to be an unforgettable experience as we cross the Taklamakan from South to North, part of the way by jeep but also involving a 7 day trek. Accompanied by our experienced, local Uighur guides, with camels for porterage and supported by Silk Road veteran and Chief Caravaneer Phil Colley we will be following in the footsteps of Sir Aurel Stein. Each day our Caravan will make its way slowly through the dunes, resting at night beneath the desert stars,  warmed by a campfire, washed no doubt by plaintive song in a magical emptiness far, far from the madding crowd.

in the footsteps of sir aurel stein...

detailed trip dossier available for this trip - click here
 

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