View source for Earth:Taklamakan Desert

{{Short description|Desert in Xinjiang, China}}
{{Infobox valley
| name          = Taklamakan Desert
| photo         = Taklamakan desert.jpg
| photo_caption = View of the Taklamakan desert
| map           =
| map_image     = Tarimrivermap.png
| map_caption   = Taklamakan Desert and Tarim Basin
| country       = China
| region        = [[Place:Xinjiang|Xinjiang]]
| area_km2      = 337000
| coordinates   = {{coord|38.9|N|82.2|E|region:CN-65_type:landmark_scale:5000000|display=inline,title}}
{{Infobox Chinese/Chinese
|s=塔克拉玛干沙漠
|t=塔克拉瑪干沙漠
|p=Tǎkèlāmǎgān Shāmò
|poj=Thah-khek-lá-má-kan Soa-bo̍k
|w=Tʻa³-kʻo⁴-la¹-ma³-kan¹ Sha<sup>1</sup>-mo<sup>4</sup>
|xej=تَاكْلامَاقًا شَاموْ
}}
{{Infobox Chinese/Dunganese
|dungan=Такәламаган Шамә
}}
{{Infobox Chinese/Uyghur
|uig=تەكلىماكان قۇملۇقى
|uly=Teklimakan qumluqi
|uyy=Təklimakan ⱪumluⱪi
|usy=Тәклимакан қумлуқи
}}
}}

The '''Taklamakan Desert''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|t|æ|k|.|l|ə|.|m|ə|ˈ|k|æ|n}}; {{lang-zh|s=塔克拉玛干沙漠|p=Tǎkèlāmǎgān Shāmò}}, Xiao'erjing: {{lang|zh-Arab|تَاكْلامَاقًا شَاموْ}}, {{lang-dng|Такәламаган Шамә}}; {{lang-ug|تەكلىماكان قۇملۇقى, Täklimakan Qumluqi}}; also spelled ''Teklimakan'') is a [[Earth:Desert|desert]] in Southwestern [[Place:Xinjiang|Xinjiang]] in Northwest {{wipe|China}}. Located inside the Tarim Basin in Southern Xinjiang, it is bounded by the Kunlun Mountains to the south, the Pamir Mountains to the west, the Tian Shan range to the north, and the [[Earth:Gobi Desert|Gobi Desert]] to the east.

==Etymology==

While most researchers agree on {{lang|fa-Latn|makan}} being the [[Social:Persian language|Persian]] word for "place", etymology of ''Takla'' is less clear. The word may be a [[Social:Uyghur language|Uyghur]] borrowing of the Persian {{lang|fa-Latn|tark}}, "to leave alone/out/behind, relinquish, abandon" + ''makan''.<ref>{{cite book |first=E. M. |last=Pospelov |title=Geograficheskiye nazvaniya mira |location=Moscow |year=1998 |page=408 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |first=Gunnar |last=Jarring |title=The Toponym Takla-makan |journal=Turkic Languages |volume=1 |year=1997 |pages=227–40 }}</ref> “Takla” also means “bald” in Hindi/urdu, so it translates to “bald land” meaning land with no vegetation. Another plausible explanation suggests it is derived from [[Social:Chagatai language|Turki]] ''taqlar makan'', describing "the place of ruins".<ref>Tamm (2011), p. 139.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/xinjiang/korla/taklamakan.htm |title=Takla Makan Desert at TravelChinaGuide.com |access-date=November 24, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081025093112/http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/xinjiang/korla/taklamakan.htm |archive-date=October 25, 2008 |url-status=live }} But see Christian Tyler, ''Wild West China'', John Murray 2003, p.17</ref> Chinese scholars Wang Guowei and Huang Wenbi linked the name to the Tocharians, a historical people of the Tarim Basin, making the meaning of "Taklamakan" similar to "Tocharistan".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Yao |first1=Dali |title=Origin and meaning of the name "Taklamakan" [塔克拉玛干之名的起源与语义] |journal=Wenhui Xueren |date=2019 |volume=408 |url=http://www.globalview.cn/html/culture/info_34447.html |language=zh}}</ref> According to Uyghur researcher Turdi Mettursun Kara, the name Taklamakan comes from the expression Terk-i Mekan. The name is first mentioned as Terk-i Makan (ترك مكان / trk mkan) in the book called Tevarih-i Muskiyun, which was written in 1867 in the Hotan Prefecture of Xinjiang.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kara |first=Turdi Mettursun |date=2022-03-01 |title="Taklamakan" Adının Kökeni Üzerine |journal=Korkut Ata Türkiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi |issue=7 |pages=572–577 |doi=10.51531/korkutataturkiyat.1070366 |s2cid=248487312 |issn=2687-5675|doi-access=free }}</ref>

In [[Social:False etymology|folk etymology]], it is said to mean "Place of No Return" or "get in and you'll never get out".<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lRZwAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA16 |page=16 |title=Central Asia in World History |first= Peter B. |last=Golden |date=January 14, 2011 |publisher=Oxford University Press| isbn=9780199722037}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yAgGHnENHjoC&pg=PA368|title=World Regional Geography|first=Joseph J.|last=Hobbs|page=368|publisher=Wadsworth Publishing Co Inc|edition=6th|date=December 14, 2007|isbn=978-0495389507|access-date=December 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170219222455/https://books.google.com/books?id=yAgGHnENHjoC&pg=PA368|archive-date=February 19, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P1MBAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA141 |title=Traces in the Desert: Journeys of Discovery Across Central Asia |first=Christoph |last=Baumer |page=141 |publisher=B. Tauris & Company |isbn=9780857718327 |date=June 30, 2008 |access-date=December 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170219232154/https://books.google.com/books?id=P1MBAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA141 |archive-date=February 19, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EXikxcbKW2YC&pg=PA12 |title=Foreign Devils on the Silk Road: The Search for the Lost Treasures of Central Asia |first=Peter |last=Hopkirk |page=12 |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=November 1, 2001 |isbn=978-0192802118 |access-date=December 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170219225142/https://books.google.com/books?id=EXikxcbKW2YC&pg=PA12 |archive-date=February 19, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Tarimbecken 3. Jahrhundert.png|thumb|left|Settlements, 3rd century AD.]]
[[File:Taklamakan.png|thumb|left|Taklamakan by NASA World Wind]]
The Taklamakan Desert has an area of {{convert|337000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}},<ref name="Taklimakan Desert 2006">{{cite journal |title=The Age of the Taklimakan Desert |first1=Jimin |last1=Sun |first2=Tungsten |last2=Lou |journal=Science |volume=312 |issue=5780 |year=2006 |page=1621 |doi=10.1126/science.1124616 |pmid=16778048 |s2cid=21392336 }}</ref> making it slightly smaller than Germany. The desert is part of the Tarim Basin, which is {{convert|1000|km}} long and {{convert|400|km}} wide. It is crossed at its northern and at its southern edge by two branches of the Silk Road, by which travellers sought to avoid the arid wasteland.<ref name="atlas">{{cite book
|first=Paul G.
|last=Ban
|title=The Atlas of World Archeology
|publisher=Check mark Books
|location=New York
|pages=[https://archive.org/details/atlasofworldarch00paul/page/134 134&n dash; 135]
|isbn=978-0-8160-4051-3
|year=2000
|url-access=registration
|url=https://archive.org/details/atlasofworldarch00paul/page/134
}}</ref>
It is the world's second-largest shifting sand desert, with about 85% made up of shifting sand dunes,<ref>{{cite encyclopedia
|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9110530/Takla-Makan-Desert
|title=Taklamakan Desert
|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica
|access-date=August 11, 2007
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929204252/http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9110530/Takla-Makan-Desert
|archive-date=September 29, 2007
|url-status=live
}}</ref> ranking 16th in size in a ranking of the world's [[Earth:List of deserts by area|largest deserts]].<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://geology.com/records/largest-desert.shtml
|title=The World's Largest Desert
|publisher=geology.com
|access-date=August 22, 2007
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070817025305/http://geology.com/records/largest-desert.shtml
|archive-date=August 17, 2007
|url-status=live
}}</ref>
Dunes range in height from {{convert|60|ft|m}} up to as much as {{convert|300|ft|m}}. The few breaks in this sea of sand are small patches of alluvial clay. Generally, the steeper sides of the dunes face away from the prevailing winds.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|pp=365–366}}

{{wipe|China}} has constructed two cross-desert highways. The Tarim Desert Highway links the cities of Hotan (on the southern edge) and Luntai (on the northern edge) and the Bayingol to Ruoqiang road crosses the desert to the east.

In recent years, the desert has expanded in some areas, its sands enveloping farms and villages as a result of [[Earth:Desertification|desertification]].

{{quote|"When I woke up one morning, I found I couldn't open the door because of the weight of sand that had accumulated overnight. My crops were buried too, so I had no choice but to move" -Memet Simay, Qira County resident<ref name="chinadaily">{{cite web|url=https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/2013-05/27/content_16536602.htm|title=Holding back the sands of time|date=27 May 2013|access-date=15 December 2019|website=China Daily|quote=Memet Simay's household was one of 446 in Qira township forced to relocate in the 1980s, although the family has since returned to the area. "When I woke up one morning, I found I couldn't open the door because of the weight of sand that had accumulated overnight. My crops were buried too, so I had no choice but to move," he recalled.}}</ref>}}

The Golmud-Korla Railway crosses the Taklamakan as well.

Named areas in the desert include Ha-la-ma, A-lang-ha and Mai-k'o-tsa-k'o.<ref name="ho-tien">{{cite web|location=Washington, D. C.|url=http://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/maps/imw/txu-oclc-6654394-nj-44-3rd-ed.jpg|language=en|title=NJ 44 Ho-tien [China, India] Series 1301, Edition 3-TPC|date=1971|via=Perry–Castañeda Library Map Collection|publisher=U.S. Army Topographic Command|quote=KJ A-LANG-HA HA-LA-MA MAI-K'O-TSA-K'O LH{...}LEGEND{...}AREA NAME HA-LA-MA}}</ref> The Mazartag mountains are located in the western part of the desert.

==Climate==
[[File:Taklamakan-d12.jpg|thumb|Desert life near Yarkand]]
[[File:Taklamakan desert sand dunes landsat 7.png|thumb|Sand Dunes captured by NASA's Landsat-7]]

Because it lies in the [[Earth:Rain shadow|rain shadow]] of the Himalayas, Taklamakan has a cold [[Earth:Desert climate|desert climate]]. Given its relative proximity with the cold to frigid [[Earth:Air mass|air mass]]es in Siberia, extreme temperatures are recorded in wintertime, sometimes well below {{convert|−20|C|0}}, while in summer they can rise up to {{convert|40|C|0}}. During the 2008 Chinese winter storms episode, the Taklamakan was reported to be covered, for the first time in its recorded history, entirely with a thin layer of snow reaching {{convert|4|cm|in}}, with a temperature of {{convert|−26.1|C|0}} in some observatories.<ref name = xinhuanetdesertsnow>{{cite news
|title=China's biggest desert Taklamakan experiences record snow
|publisher=Xinhuanet.com
|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-02/01/content_7544946.htm
|date=February 1, 2008
|access-date=February 4, 2008
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080208090206/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-02/01/content_7544946.htm
|archive-date=February 8, 2008
|url-status=dead
}}</ref>

Its extreme inland position, virtually in the very heartland of Asia and thousands of kilometres from any open body of water, accounts for the somewhat wide [[Earth:Diurnal temperature variation|diurnal temperature variation]].

{{Weather box|width=auto
|metric first=y
|single line=y 
|collapsed = Y
|location = Taklamakan Desert (Tazhong, 1996–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2010)
|Jan record high C = 16.3 |Jan record low C = -32.6
|Feb record high C = 17.2 |Feb record low C = -32.7
|Mar record high C = 32.7 |Mar record low C = -12.3
|Apr record high C = 37.0 |Apr record low C = -8.3
|May record high C = 38.2 |May record low C = 1.2
|Jun record high C = 41.6 |Jun record low C = 7.2
|Jul record high C = 45.6 |Jul record low C = 11.1
|Aug record high C = 42.7 |Aug record low C = 6.8
|Sep record high C = 39.5 |Sep record low C = 0.6
|Oct record high C = 31.9 |Oct record low C = -8.4
|Nov record high C = 24.7 |Nov record low C = -18.0
|Dec record high C = 16.7 |Dec record low C = -24.7
|year high C =  |year low C = 
|year high F =  |year low F =
|Jan high C = 	-0.4
|Feb high C = 	7.0
|Mar high C = 	17.5
|Apr high C = 	25.6
|May high C = 	30.5
|Jun high C = 	34.3
|Jul high C = 	36.3
|Aug high C = 	35.5
|Sep high C = 	30.4
|Oct high C = 	22.2
|Nov high C = 	11.0
|Dec high C = 	1.3
|Jan mean C = 	-10.0
|Feb mean C = 	-2.5
|Mar mean C = 	8.0
|Apr mean C = 	16.5
|May mean C = 	21.9
|Jun mean C = 	26.3
|Jul mean C = 	28.3
|Aug mean C = 	27.3
|Sep mean C = 	21.3
|Oct mean C = 	11.4
|Nov mean C = 	0.2
|Dec mean C = 	-8.5
|Jan low C = 	-18.3
|Feb low C = 	-11.9
|Mar low C = 	-2.0
|Apr low C = 	6.9
|May low C = 	12.7
|Jun low C = 	17.8
|Jul low C = 	20.0
|Aug low C = 	18.7
|Sep low C = 	11.7
|Oct low C = 	1.1
|Nov low C = 	-8.6
|Dec low C = 	-16.2
|precipitation colour = green	
|Jan precipitation mm = 	0.5
|Feb precipitation mm = 	0.4
|Mar precipitation mm = 	0.2
|Apr precipitation mm = 	0.7
|May precipitation mm = 	3.7
|Jun precipitation mm = 	9.8
|Jul precipitation mm = 	5.4
|Aug precipitation mm = 	3.5
|Sep precipitation mm = 	0.7
|Oct precipitation mm = 	0.7
|Nov precipitation mm = 	0.1
|Dec precipitation mm = 	0.1
|Jan humidity = 	55
|Feb humidity = 	40
|Mar humidity = 	23
|Apr humidity = 	20
|May humidity = 	24
|Jun humidity = 	29
|Jul humidity = 	30
|Aug humidity = 	28
|Sep humidity = 	29
|Oct humidity = 	34
|Nov humidity = 	45
|Dec humidity = 	56
|unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm	
|Jan precipitation days = 	0.8
|Feb precipitation days = 	0.3
|Mar precipitation days = 	0.3
|Apr precipitation days = 	0.3
|May precipitation days = 	1.8
|Jun precipitation days = 	3.5
|Jul precipitation days = 	3.5
|Aug precipitation days = 	1.8
|Sep precipitation days = 	0.8
|Oct precipitation days = 	0.4
|Nov precipitation days = 	0.1
|Dec precipitation days = 	0.6
|year precipitation days = 	
|Jan sun = 	188.5
|Feb sun = 	191.2
|Mar sun = 	220.7
|Apr sun = 	222.0
|May sun = 	251.4
|Jun sun = 	240.6
|Jul sun = 	246.8
|Aug sun = 	246.3
|Sep sun = 	253.9
|Oct sun = 	262.7
|Nov sun = 	216.9
|Dec sun = 	184.1
|year sun = 	
| Jan percentsun = 	62
| Feb percentsun = 	62
| Mar percentsun = 	59
| Apr percentsun = 	55
| May percentsun = 	56
| Jun percentsun = 	54
| Jul percentsun = 	55
| Aug percentsun = 	59
| Sep percentsun = 	69
| Oct percentsun = 	78
| Nov percentsun = 	73
| Dec percentsun = 	63
| year percentsun =	
|Jan snow days = 	2.7
|Feb snow days = 	1.1
|Mar snow days = 	0
|Apr snow days = 	0
|May snow days = 	0
|Jun snow days = 	0
|Jul snow days = 	0
|Aug snow days = 	0
|Sep snow days = 	0
|Oct snow days = 	0
|Nov snow days = 	0.3
|Dec snow days = 	2.8
|year snow days = 	
|source 1 = China Meteorological Administration<ref name="cma graphical">{{cite web |url=http://data.cma.cn/data/weatherBk.html |script-title=zh:中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data |publisher=China Meteorological Administration |language = zh-hans |access-date=10 October 2023}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web|url=https://experience.arcgis.com/template/e724038fda394e9d9b7921f10fd1aa55/page/%E7%BA%AF%E8%A1%A8%E6%A0%BC%E7%BB%9F%E8%AE%A1-(%E5%AF%B9%E6%AF%948110%E5%8F%98%E5%8C%96)/?org=UQmaps |script-title=zh:中国气象数据网|publisher=China Meteorological Administration |language = zh-hans | access-date =10 October 2023}}</ref>
}}

==Oasis==
[[File:STANFORD(1917) p61 PLATE19. SINKIANG (14597194848).jpg|thumb|left|Map including the Taklamakan Desert (1917)]]
[[File:Alluvial fan, Taklimakan Desert, XinJiang Province, China, NASA, ASTER.jpg|thumb|right|The Molcha (Moleqie) River forms a vast alluvial fan at the southern border of the Taklamakan Desert, as it leaves the Altyn-Tagh mountains and enters the desert in the western part of the Qiemo County. The left side appears blue from water flowing in many streams. The picture is taken in May, when the river is full with the snow/glacier meltwater.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=38%C2%B053%E2%80%B228%E2%80%B3N,+82%C2%B010%E2%80%B240%E2%80%B3E&ie=UTF8&ll=37.301914,84.340668&spn=0.805076,1.203003&t=h&z=10 | title=38°53'28.0"n 82°10'40.0"e}}</ref>]]

The Taklamakan Desert has very little water making it hazardous to cross. Merchant caravans on the Silk Road would stop for relief at the thriving [[Earth:Oasis|oasis]] towns.<ref>{{cite book
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1_41VGoCYU8C&q=Taklamakan+Desert&pg=PA321
|title=Spies Along the Silk Road
|access-date=August 7, 2007
|isbn=9780192802323
|last1=Hopkirk
|first1=Peter
|year=2001
|publisher=Oxford University Press
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109085828/https://books.google.com/books?id=1_41VGoCYU8C&pg=PA321&dq=Taklamakan+Desert
|archive-date=January 9, 2017
|url-status=live
}}</ref> It was in close proximity to many of the ancient civilizations—to the Northwest is the Amu Darya basin, to the southwest the Afghanistan mountain passes lead to Iran and India, to the east is China, and even to the north ancient towns such as [[Place:Almaty|Almaty]] can be found.

The key oasis towns, watered by rainfall from the mountains, were [[Place:Kashgar|Kashgar]], Miran, Niya, Yarkand, and Khotan (Hetian) to the south, Kuqa and Turpan in the north, and Loulan and Dunhuang in the east.<ref name="atlas"/> Now, many, such as Miran and Gaochang, are ruined cities in sparsely inhabited areas in the [[Place:Xinjiang|Xinjiang]] Autonomous Region of the {{wipe|China}}.<ref name="road">{{cite book
|year=2004
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ArWLD4Qop38C&pg=PA189
|title=The Silk Road: Trade, Travel, War and Faith
|access-date=August 25, 2007
|isbn=9781932476132
|last1=Whitfield
|first1=Susan
|last2=Library
|first2=British
| publisher=Serindia Publications |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509053218/https://books.google.com/books?id=ArWLD4Qop38C&pg=PA189
|archive-date=May 9, 2016
|url-status=live
}}</ref>

The archaeological treasures found in its sand-buried ruins point to Tocharian, early Hellenistic, {{wipe|India}}, and Buddhist influences. Its treasures and dangers have been vividly described by Aurel Stein, Sven Hedin, Albert von Le Coq, and Paul Pelliot.<ref name="atlas2">{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.ess.uci.edu/%7Eoliver/silk.html
 |title       = The Silk Road
 |access-date  = August 7, 2007
|url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160315145417/http://www.ess.uci.edu/%7Eoliver/silk.html
 |archive-date = March 15, 2016
}}
</ref>
Mummies, some 4000 years old, have been found in the region.<ref>{{cite news
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/16/science/16archeo.html
|title=A Host of Mummies, a Forest of Secrets
|access-date=December 28, 2014
|newspaper=The New York Times
|date=March 15, 2010
|last1=Wade
|first1=Nicholas
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141228211020/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/16/science/16archeo.html
|archive-date=December 28, 2014
|url-status=live
}}</ref>

Later, the Taklamakan was inhabited by Turkic peoples. Starting with the Han dynasty, the Chinese sporadically extended their control to the oasis cities of the Taklamakan Desert to control the important silk route trade across Central Asia. Periods of Chinese rule were interspersed with rule by Turkic, Mongol and Tibetan peoples. The present population consists largely of Turkic Uyghur people and ethnic Han people.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-16860974 Xinjiang territory profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701074149/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-16860974 |date=July 1, 2018 }}, BBC News. May 7, 2011.</ref>

==Scientific exploration==
This desert was explored by several scholars, including Xuanzang, a 7th-century Buddhist monk, and, in the 20th century, the archaeologist Aurel Stein.

Atmospheric studies have shown that dust originating from the Taklamakan is blown over the Pacific, where it contributes to cloud formation over the Western United States. Further, the traveling dust redistributes minerals from the Taklamakan to the western U.S.A. via rainfall.<ref name="The Dust Detectives">{{cite magazine |last=Fox |first=Douglas |date=December 22, 2014 |title=The Dust Detectives |url=http://www.hcn.org/issues/46.22/the-dust-detectives |magazine=High Country News |volume=46 |issue=22 |access-date=September 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819133725/http://www.hcn.org/issues/46.22/the-dust-detectives |archive-date=August 19, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> Studies have shown that a specific class of mineral found in the dust, known as K-feldspar, triggers ice formation particularly well. K-feldspar is particularly susceptible to corrosion by acidic atmospheric pollution, such as nitrates and phosphates; exposure to these constituents reduces the ability of the dust to trigger water droplet formation.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Atkinson |first1=James D. |last2=Murray |first2=Benjamin J. |last3=Woodhouse |first3=Matthew T. |last4=Whale |first4=Thomas F. |last5=Baustian |first5=Kelly J. |last6=Carslaw |first6=Kenneth S. |last7=Dobbie |first7=Steven |last8=O’Sullivan |first8=Daniel |last9=Malkin |first9=Tamsin L. |title=The importance of feldspar for ice nucleation by mineral dust in mixed-phase clouds |journal=Nature |date=June 2013 |volume=498 |issue=7454 |pages=355–358 |doi=10.1038/nature12278 |pmid=23760484 |bibcode=2013Natur.498..355A |s2cid=4423734 |url=http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/76495/16/Atkinsonjd1_with_coversheet.pdf }}</ref>

In May 2023, China announced that it would drill a hole to around {{convert|11|km|feet}} depth to investigate the layers of [[Earth:Crust (geology)|crust]] in that area. It will not be as deep as the [[Earth:Kola Superdeep Borehole|Kola Superdeep Borehole]] ({{convert|12,262|metre|feet}}.<ref name="2023-05-31_IT">[https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/china-begins-drilling-a-10-kilometer-deep-hole-in-earths-crust-2386983-2023-05-31 China begins drilling a 10-kilometer-deep hole in Earth's crust], India Today, 2023-05-31</ref>

==Transportation==
The Taklamakan Desert is surrounded by the Taklimakan Desert railway loop. The Southern Xinjiang Railway branches from the Lanxin Railway near Turpan, follows the north side of the basin to Kashgar, and curves southeast to Khotan, while Hotan–Ruoqiang railway loops around the south and west side of the Traim. In total, the Taklimakan Desert railway loop contains four different railway lines, including the sections of the Golmud–Korla railway, Hotan–Ruoqiang railway, Kashgar–Hotan railway, and Southern Xinjiang railway.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3182031/new-railway-completes-2700km-loop-taklamakan-desert-move |title=New railway completes 2,700km loop of Taklamakan Desert in move to integrate Xinjiang with rest of China |website=South China Morning Post |date=17 June 2022 |first=Kate |last=Zhang }}</ref> Roads and highways are also available in the desert. 

==In popular culture==
{{unsourced|section|date=September 2021}}
The desert is the main setting for Chinese film series ''Painted Skin'' and ''Painted Skin: The Resurrection''. The Chinese TV series ''Candle in the Tomb'' is mostly spent in this desert as they are searching for the ancient city of Jinjue (see Niya (Tarim Basin)).

The issue No. 39 'Soft Places' of Neil Gaiman's ''The Sandman'' takes place in the desert, when Marco Polo gets lost in the desert.

A portion of the Korean quasi-historical TV drama series ''Queen Seondeok'' takes place in the Taklamakan Desert. Sohwa escapes from Silla with baby Deokman and raises her in the desert. As a teenager, Deokman returns to Silla and uses the knowledge and experience gained from life among international traders in the Taklamakan trading centers to gain the throne of Silla.

The desert is showcased in the Japanese animation ''Mobile Suit Gundam 00'', set in the year 2307. On the series, the Taklamakan Desert is the setting of a large-scale military joint operation performed by all the world's blocks of power, and interdicted by the paramilitary organization Celestial Being.

The Japanese anime ''Code Geass'' depicts a fictionalized version of Taklamakan Desert within the Chinese Federation, one of three superstates in the series. It serves as the setting of a key battle between the Holy Britannian Empire and Japanese insurrectionists backed by the Chinese Federation. Later, the presence of an underground city is revealed, where members of the Geass Order are being used by Emperor Charles zi Britannia and his consort Marianne vi Britannia to bring about the Ragnarök Connection.

Following the directions given to the fictional ''Karamakan'' desert in The Secret Commonwealth novel by [[Biography:Philip Pullman|Philip Pullman]], one would end up in the western part of the Taklamakan Desert.

==See also==
*{{annotated link|Earth:List of deserts by area}}
*''[[Biology:Taklamakania|Taklamakania]]'', named for the desert
*Tazhong, town at centre of Taklamakan Desert

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
* Kara, Turdi Mettursun (March 1, 2022). [https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/korkutataturkiyat/issue/69760/1070366 ""Taklamakan" Adının Kökeni Üzerine"]. ''Korkut Ata Türkiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi'' (7): 572–577. [https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/korkutataturkiyat/issue/69760/1070366 doi:10.51531/korkutataturkiyat.1070366]. ISSN 2687-5675. S2CID 248487312.
* Jarring, Gunnar (1997). "The toponym Takla-makan", ''Turkic Languages'', Vol. 1, pp.&nbsp;227–240.
* Hopkirk, Peter (1980). ''Foreign Devils on the Silk Road: The Search for the Lost Cities and Treasures of Chinese Central Asia''. Amherst: The University of Massachusetts Press. {{ISBN|0-87023-435-8}}.
* Hopkirk, Peter (1994). ''The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia''. {{ISBN|1-56836-022-3}}.
* Tamm, Eric Enno (2010). ''The Horse That Leaps Through Clouds''. Vancouver/Toronto/Berkeley: Douglas & McIntyre. {{ISBN|9781553652694}} (cloth); {{ISBN|978-1-55365-638-8}} (ebook).
* Warner, Thomas T. (2004). ''Desert Meteorology''. Cambridge University Press, 612 pages. {{ISBN|0-521-81798-6}}.

== Further reading ==
* {{cite encyclopedia | title = Taklamakan | last = Cariou | first = Alain | url = http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/taklamakan | encyclopedia  = Encyclopaedia Iranica | year = 2010 }}

==Videography==
* ''Treasure seekers : China's frozen desert'', National Geographic Society (2001)

==External links==
* [http://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/geography/china/china.html Photos of area in China]


[[Category:Deserts of China]]
[[Category:Ergs]]

{{Sourceattribution|Taklamakan Desert}}