Where the southern road ends before the great crossing to Dunhuang, the Charklik oasis and the marshes of Lop Nur are held by their own people, fishermen, hunters and guides who live off the caravans.
Later travellers (Polo c. 1273, Stein in 1906) show a small, scattered folk; for 1200 nothing is recorded, not a ruler, a tribute or an enemy. No state claims to rule them in a way a source shows: the khan of Khotan is the nearest Muslim prince, the Tangut at Dunhuang the nearest imperial one.
Who he is
- Title
- Headmen of the Charklik oasis and of the fishing and hunting people of Lop Nur; none named
- Since
- not pinned
- Born
- not known
- Family
- Not known.
- Confidence
- low
Wikipedia 'Charklik (ancient settlement)' (Marco Polo's town of Lop; Stein in 1906 found a thinly peopled district of Lopliks), 'Shanshan', 'Loulan Kingdom', 'Miran'. Nothing for 1200.
Overlord
None shown. Khotan by claim.
What it holds
- The Charklik oasis and the Miran stream
- The Lop Nur marshes, reeds, fish and wild camels
- The guiding of caravans to Dunhuang
How it was acquired
By long habitation.
Allies and rivals
Khotan to the west; the Tangut at Shazhou to the east; the Altyn Tagh herders to the south.
How things stand that morning
Not recorded.
Wealth
Fish, reeds, guiding fees, felt and salt.
Military
None recorded.
Threats
- Drought; the shifting of the Tarim's lower course
Places of note
- Charklik (Ruoqiang): Oasis and last halt.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: No source for 1200; later travellers only.
On the map: The lake's position in 1200 is not known; the Tarim has shifted its lower bed more than once.
Sources and studies
- Wikipedia, 'Charklik (ancient settlement)'
- Wikipedia, 'Shanshan'
- Wikipedia, 'Loulan Kingdom'
- Wikipedia, 'Miran (Xinjiang)'
- Marco Polo, Travels (c. 1298), chapters on Kashgar, Yarkand, Khotan, Pein, Charchan and Lop; recalled, not rechecked here
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.