Qira

Qira is an oasis east of Khotan, where rivers from the Kunlun reach the southern edge of the Taklamakan. To its north, the ancient site of Dandan Oilik preserves the remains of houses and Buddhist temples once standing along the southern Silk Road. Murals, wooden paintings and documents in several languages reveal a community connected to Khotan and the wider world. The desert later advanced over this old settlement.