Nautical adventures and the discovery of Loulan

            I began my journey in the city of Yarkand which is located in the far western corner of the of the Chinese province of Xinjiang within the region of Kucha on September 17th 1899. I had made up my mind that this expedition shall be one a of nautical nature. The plan was originally to navigate the Yarkand river as far north as physically possible. But then I realized why should I settle for simply navigating just one river when I could also explore the Tarim and Kaidu rivers as well. So, upon arriving within Yarkand I immediately set to work acquiring a suitable vessel. Unfortunately, all that was available to me was a basic, barren, shallow draft barge approximately 12 metres in length. This would simply not do! A simpler man would have most likely given up but not I. Sven Hedin is no quitter!
            I immediately set to work employing a small army of carpenters and blacksmiths to bring my newly acquired vessel in line with to my exacting standards. For this expedition I required room for my tent, a dark room for the development of photography as well as a kitchen area and storage space for the required gear and equipment as well as the treasures that we would surely uncover. As the workers busied them selves with the tasks at hand under the watchful eye of  my loyal Cossack acquaintances I undertook an examination of the current maps and charts of the area to be explored. Upon realizing that the river becomes quite narrow at certain points I immediately set to work acquiring a second vessel significantly smaller vessel in order to facilitate in the navigation of these smaller rivers and tributaries.
            Within the short span of 82 days I had successfully navigated over 1500 KM’s of water ways as well as exploring the great and vast Taklamakan desert. But alas all the waterways had dried up and my two magnificent vessels where now useless. But don’t despair for me as I made the decision to continue my great adventure by foot. We set forth on a course that I believed would lead us to the dried-up shore line of the once great lake known as Lop Nor.
 Upon arrival at Lop Nor in the year 1900, I realized that due a to miscalculation by my locally hired Uigir guide we were running dangerously low on water and top it off he had forgotten my prized shovel at the location of our previous rest area a few kilometres back. To make the situation worse a violent storm was moving in and I had to think quickly, or we would all surely perish! I immediately ordered my men to return to the location of our previous rest stop as fast as physically possible. Upon our arrival I realized that the sand storm and my quick thinking had led us to a most wonderous site.  I had discovered the ancient Chinese garrison of Loulan! It was magnificent, I immediately set the men to work to properly survey and map out the surrounding area. I had discovered over 19 buildings including a magnificent Buddhist stupa and assortment of highly prized well preserved Chinese literary documents both written on wood as well as on an early form of paper. It is a real shame I have but one day to spent here. But I promise that before long I will return.


Sources
Hansen, Valerie. 2012. The Silk Road: a new history. Oxford: Oxford University Press. This is a history book that provides a overall summary of the history of the Silk Road. Chapter 2 contains a nice little summary of Sven’s adventure in his acquisition of his barge and his subsenquent adventures down the Yarkand river
Hedin, Sven. 1902. "Dr. Sven Hedin's Latest Journey in Central Asia". Bulletin of the American Geographical Society. 34 (5): 445-448. This is a first hand account written by Sven Hedin where he summarizes his most recent trip through Central Asia that began in 1899 and concluded in 1902. This account is written in the 3rd person despite the author being Sven.
Hedin, Sven Anders. 1926. My life as an explorer. London: Cassell and Co. This account is a first hand account written by Sven Hedin in 1926 that sums up his entire life as an explorer prior to 1926. This includes his Central Asian expeditions and the adventures down the Yarkand river and the discovery of Loulan in 1900.
Montell, G. 1952. "Archaeological Research in Central Asia by the Sven Hedin Expedition". Ethnos. 17 (1-4): 1-14. This is an academic paper written in 1952 that summarizes the main archaeological discoveries of Sven Hedin and his numerous expeditions including the discovery of Loulan in 1900.

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