Niya

Niya is an oasis on the southern edge of the Taklamakan, watered by a river descending from the Kunlun Mountains. Farther north in the desert lie the remains of an ancient settlement associated with Jingjue, a small kingdom mentioned in Han records. Wooden houses, fields and objects preserved in the dry sand recall a time when water reached farther into the basin. Documents written in Kharosthi on wooden tablets record official orders and everyday affairs in the third and fourth centuries.