Juyan Lake Basin
Encyclopedia
The Juyan Lake for western lake, Sogo Nuur for eastern lake) is a former lake in the Gobi desert
of western Inner Mongolia
at the Alxa League
near the border of eastern Xinjiang
. Goshun Nur had an area of 267 km² (103.1 sq mi) in 1958, of 213 km² (82.2 sq mi) in 1960, and has dried up in 1961.
The Juyan Lake basin is a rare wetland located and covers an area of about 10000 square kilometres (3,861 sq mi). The Juyan lake is one of three former terminal lakes located at the outer edges of the Heihe River (Black River) catchment which formed a large inland delta between the Qilian
and the Gobi Altay.
The basin's boundary is formed by the Mazong Shan
mountains to the west, the Heli Shan and Longshou Shan mountains to the south, the Helan Shan
and Lang Shan
ranges to the east and the Mongolian Gobi Altay range to the north.
, which is about 2600 km (1,615.6 mi) in length, connecting the ancient Chinese capital of Xian to the west over the Pamir Mountains to emerge in Kashgar
before linking to ancient Parthia
. According to C.Michael Hogan, this route greatly expanded in its usage after the Han Dynasty
pushed back the northern tribes in the latter part of the first millennium BC.
Gobi Desert
The Gobi is a large desert region in Asia. It covers parts of northern and northwestern China, and of southern Mongolia. The desert basins of the Gobi are bounded by the Altai Mountains and the grasslands and steppes of Mongolia on the north, by the Hexi Corridor and Tibetan Plateau to the...
of western Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
at the Alxa League
Alxa League
Alxa League is one of 12 prefecture level divisions and three extant leagues of Inner Mongolia. The league borders Mongolia to the north, Bayan Nur to the northeast, Wuhai and Ordos to the east, Ningxia to the southeast, and Gansu to the south and west. The capital is Bayan Hot in the aimag's...
near the border of eastern Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
. Goshun Nur had an area of 267 km² (103.1 sq mi) in 1958, of 213 km² (82.2 sq mi) in 1960, and has dried up in 1961.
The Juyan Lake basin is a rare wetland located and covers an area of about 10000 square kilometres (3,861 sq mi). The Juyan lake is one of three former terminal lakes located at the outer edges of the Heihe River (Black River) catchment which formed a large inland delta between the Qilian
Qilian
The Qilian Mountains is a northern outlier of the Kunlun Mountains, forming the border between Qinghai and the Gansu provinces of northern China.-Geography:...
and the Gobi Altay.
The basin's boundary is formed by the Mazong Shan
Mazong Shan
The Mazong Shan is a minor mountain range of northern Gansu, between the Altay range to the north and the Qilian range to the south. The Mazong Shan peak rises to 2584 m....
mountains to the west, the Heli Shan and Longshou Shan mountains to the south, the Helan Shan
Helan Shan
The Helan Mountains , frequently called Alashan Mountains in older sources, are an isolated desert mountain range forming the border of Inner Mongolia's Alxa League and Ningxia. They run north-south parallel to the north-flowing Yellow River in the Ordos Loop section...
and Lang Shan
Lang Shan
The Lang Shan ; ) is a mountain range at the northwest corner of the Ordos Loop in Inner Mongolia. It runs from southwest to northeast and forces the Yellow River to turn from north to east. To the northwest is desert and to the southeast, between it and the Yellow River, is an irrigated area. Its...
ranges to the east and the Mongolian Gobi Altay range to the north.
History
The basin played an important role in ancient times and was historically part of the Gansu Corridor between the 2nd century BC to 8th century AD. The Juyan Lake Basin lies along the route of the Northern Silk RoadNorthern Silk Road
The Northern Silk Road is a prehistoric trackway in northern China originating in the early capital of Xi'an and extending north of the Taklamakan Desert to reach the ancient kingdoms of Parthia, Bactria and eventually Persia and Rome. It is the northern-most branch of several Silk Roads providing...
, which is about 2600 km (1,615.6 mi) in length, connecting the ancient Chinese capital of Xian to the west over the Pamir Mountains to emerge in Kashgar
Kashgar
Kashgar or Kashi is an oasis city with approximately 350,000 residents in the western part of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Kashgar is the administrative centre of Kashgar Prefecture which has an area of 162,000 km² and a population of approximately...
before linking to ancient Parthia
Parthia
Parthia is a region of north-eastern Iran, best known for having been the political and cultural base of the Arsacid dynasty, rulers of the Parthian Empire....
. According to C.Michael Hogan, this route greatly expanded in its usage after the Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
pushed back the northern tribes in the latter part of the first millennium BC.