3. Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang

 

 

The Taklamakan Desert, also known as Taklimakan, is a desert in Central Asia, in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. As one of the largest sand deserts in the world, the Taklimakan Desert covers an area of 330,000 square kilometers.It is bounded by the Kunlun Mountains to the south, and the Pamir Mountains and Tian Shan (ancient Mount Imeon) to the west and north. It is crossed at its northern and at its southern edge by two branches of the Silk Road as travelers sought to avoid the arid wasteland. "Taklimakan" has the meaning that you can never get out of the place once you step in it. The sand hills in the desert are 300 meters high. When wind blows the sand up, the hills can reach a height of 900 meters.