Lop

Lop lies east of the White Jade River in the Khotan oasis, between the Kunlun Mountains and the Taklamakan Desert. Water descending from the mountains sustains the fields and settlements along this southern edge of the Tarim Basin. The White Jade River was celebrated for the stones found in its bed, prized by craftsmen far beyond Khotan. The oasis forms part of the old southern road around the desert.