Loulan — a Lost Kingdom

Loulan, capital of the Loulan Kingdom, was a small but prosperous commercial city on the famous Silk Road. Located on the west bank of Lop Nur Lake, now the ancient city is buried in sand and described as “a forbidden zone to life” in northwest China. Loulan city suddenly disappeared in the third century, becoming a great mystery for later generations. No traces of Loulan had been found until 1901 when a Swedish explorer accidentally discovered the ruins of the ancient city buried in desert. Loulan is considered as “the cradle of civilization in the Middle Ages”. The ruins of the ancient city have attracted a large number of adventurers from many countries to the historic site and they have carried away a great number of relics. Archaeologists have found the ruins of government offices, Buddhist towers and temples, dried rivers, farmland and ancient tombs around the ancient city, which cover around 100,000 square meters. Their findings in the area also include a host of precious relics like carpets, coins, carved wooden tools and pottery. Why did the city, once a booming trade center with a thriving trade in silk, glass and perfume, disappear so suddenly? How exactly has a world filled with water, greenery and energy turned into a sea of sand? Some experts say the drying climate and reduction of the river flow drove the ancient Loulan people to move to other places. Some hold that the change of the route of the ancient Silk Road had a direct impact on its withering away. And some say its disappearance is a comprehensive reflection of political, economic and environmental changes. Much research has been done on the origin, development, decline and fall of the Loulan civilization over the past century. Today, archaeologists and historians worldwide are still working hard to resolve the continuing mystery of this ancient kingdom.