Dàshāhǎi

The great sand sea north of Lop Nur lies between the old lake basin and the dry ridges of Kuruktag. Wind has shaped the loose sands and exposed ancient lake deposits into a landscape of dunes and eroded mounds. Roads toward Loulan skirted this difficult country, joining the eastern approaches to the oases of the Tarim. Water and shelter were scarce across the broad desert.