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0247 The Pulse of Asia : vol.1
アジアの鼓動 : vol.1
The Pulse of Asia : vol.1 / 247 ページ(カラー画像)

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doi: 10.20676/00000233
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fore Rawak was abandoned, about 300 A. D., the cultivated
area was but little, if any, smaller than that of modern
Chira, which is estimated to have a population of ten thou-
sand souls. Moreover, the ruins lie in the midst of a great
expanse of dead vegetation, extending a dozen miles to the
east, and an unknown distance in other directions. I trav-
ersed beds of dead reeds and poplars for six miles south of
Dandan-Uilik, and could see dead trees extending indefi-
nitely to the north and west. The reeds were broken off
close to the ground, and were largely covered with sand.
One scarcely noticed them; the poplars, on the other hand,
stood up boldly. Near the ruins, dead tamarisks were nu-
merous. A few stood on mounds; but the majority were on
the level plain, just as they grow to-day near rivers or in
the moister parts of the zone of vegetation, especially in the
region immediately around the modern oases. I found no
indication that the Keriya River ever flowed to Dandan-
Uilik. Nevertheless, in ancient times the place received a
supply of water large enough not only to irrigate the oasis,
but to support abundant vegetation over the plain on every
side. Apparently, in those days Dandan-Uilik stood among
surroundings practically identical with those prevailing
to-day around the villages of the zone of vegetation.

It has often been assumed by writers on the Lop basin
and on deserts in general, that the encroachment of sand
is the chief cause of the death of vegetation and of the aban-
donment of oases. Their theory holds that deserts by their
very nature devour the regions around them. Doubtless
this occasionally happens, but in the Lop basin, at least,
it is the exception, not the rule. Usually the vegetation dies