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LoulanLoulan is an ancient town founded in the second century BC on the north-eastern edge of the Taklamakan desert. However, in 55 BC the area became a Chinese puppet state, called Shanshan. The Tarim River, which supported the settlement, subsequently changed course and by the sixth century the city was abandoned. Archaeology Sven Hedin Loulan was rediscovered by Sven Hedin in 1901, who excavated some houses and found a wooden Karosthi tablet amongst other remains. Aurel Stein Aurel Stein made further excavations in 1906 and 1914, investigating the town's packed-earth and straw wall. It was over 1000 feet on each side, and 20 feet thick at the base. Stein also recovered a wool-pile carpet fragment, some yellow silk, and Gandharan architectural wood-carvings. Modern Chinese Expeditions In 1979 and 1980 a Chinese architectural team discovered a man-made canal 15 feet deep and 55 feet wide, a 32 foot high Buddhist stupa. They also collected 797 objects from the area, including wooden and bronze objects, some Mesolithic stone tools and coins.
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