Day Tour to Yarkand Taklamakan Desert
( Taklimakan Desert), Camel Riding and Desert Trekking
Next to the Golden Graveyard is the Tomb of Aman Nisahan, the wife of the second King of Yarkand Kingdom.
Aman Nisahan is a famous Uyghur poet, musician and composer. She is most renound for her transcription of the Twelve Mukam of famous traditional Uyghur music. She brought together local musicians, the majority of which were farmers, from the region and put their music to paper and also composed one of the Mukams herself.
Here it is possible to see wood and metal craftsmen in action and sample tradtional food which is sold on small carts along the street. Yarkand was once the capital of the Uyghur Kingdom in ancient times, and it was an important station on the Ancient Silk Road. It has a history of more than 2000 years.
Before leaving Yarkant we can visit a local teahouse where we will enjoy a delicious traditional Uyghur lunch, of corn noodles and kebabs. Alternatively we can have a picnic lunch of fruit and bread in the desert.

After lunch we will drive for around an hour to reach the oasis village of Karasu on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert. From the village you can look out onto endless sand dunes stretching away before you.
Taklamakan Desert is the second largest shifting sands desert in the World, covering an area of 337,600 square km.
