Taklamakan

The southern Taklamakan begins beyond the green belt of the Khotan oasis. Rivers fed by snow and ice in the Kunlun carry water northward into the sand, where dunes spread across the Tarim Basin. The White Jade and Black Jade rivers join beyond Khotan, forming a watercourse that crosses the desert toward the Tarim. Along the southern margin, travellers followed the chain of oases rather than venture into the immense sand sea.