The Darial Gorge is a river gorge on the border between Russia and Georgia. It is at the east base of Mount Kazbek,south of present-day Vladikavkaz. The gorge was carved by the river Terek,and is approximately 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) long. The steep granite walls of the gorge can be as much as 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) tall in some places. The Georgian Military Road runs through the gorge.
The Iron Gates is a gorge on the river Danube. It forms part of the boundary between Serbia and Romania (north). In the broad sense it encompasses a route of 134 km (83 mi);in the narrow sense it only encompasses the last barrier on this route,just beyond the Romanian city of Orșova,that contains two hydroelectric dams,with two power stations,Iron Gate I Hydroelectric Power Station and Iron Gate II Hydroelectric Power Station.
The Tarim Basin is an endorheic basin in Xinjiang,Northwestern China occupying an area of about 888,000 km2 (343,000 sq mi) and one of the largest basins in Northwest China. Located in China's Xinjiang region,it is sometimes used synonymously to refer to the southern half of the province,that is,Southern Xinjiang or Nanjiang,as opposed to the northern half of the province known as Dzungaria or Beijiang. Its northern boundary is the Tian Shan mountain range and its southern boundary is the Kunlun Mountains on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau. The Taklamakan Desert dominates much of the basin. The historical Uyghur name for the Tarim Basin is Altishahr,which means 'six cities' in Uyghur. The region was also called Little Bukhara or Little Bukharia.
Karasahr or Karashar,which was originally known in the Tocharian languages as Ārśi,Qarašähär,or Agni or the Chinese derivative Yanqi,is an ancient town on the Silk Road and the capital of Yanqi Hui Autonomous County in the Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture,Xinjiang.
Yarkant County,also Shache County,also transliterated from Uyghur as Yakan County,is a county in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region,China,located on the southern rim of the Taklamakan Desert in the Tarim Basin. It is one of 11 counties administered under Kashgar Prefecture. The county,usually referred to as Yarkand in English,was the seat of an ancient Buddhist kingdom on the southern branch of the Silk Road and the Yarkand Khanate. The county sits at an altitude of 1,189 metres (3,901 ft) and as of 2003 had a population of 373,492.
Tashkurgan,historically known as Sarikol and Shitoucheng,is a town in the far west of China,close to the country's border with Tajikistan. It is seat of Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County,in the autonomous region of Xinjiang. Chinese Tajiks –ethnic Pamiris who live in the Pamir Mountains of Xinjiang –make up a little over half of Tashkurgan's population.
Korla,also known as Kurla or Kuerle,is the second largest city by population in Xinjiang,China. It is a county-level city and the seat of Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture,the largest prefecture of China.
This articles lists cities located along the Silk Road. The Silk Road was a network of ancient trade routes which connected Europe with China,spanning from the Mediterranean Sea to the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
Lake Burbury is a man-made water reservoir created by the Crotty Dam inundating the upper King River valley that lies east of the West Coast Range. Discharge from the reservoir feeds the John Butters Hydroelectric Power Station,owned and operated by Hydro Tasmania.
Bosten Lake is a freshwater lake on the northeastern rim of the Tarim Basin,about 20 km (12 mi) east of Yanqi and 57 km (35 mi) northeast of Korla,Xinjiang,China in the Bayin'gholin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture. Covering an area of about 1,000 km2 (390 sq mi),it is the largest lake in Xinjiang and one of the largest inland freshwater lakes in China. Bosten lake receives water inflow from a catchment area of 56,000 km2 (22,000 sq mi).
Demir Kapija is a small town in North Macedonia,located near the ominous limestone gates of the same name. It has 3,725 inhabitants. The town is the seat of Demir Kapija Municipality.
In the years following Tang Taizong's subjugation of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate,the emperor began to exert his military power toward the oasis city-states of the Tarim Basin. These states,populated by Tocharian and Saka peoples,were loosely allied with the Western Turkic Khaganate. In 640,Emperor Taizong sent the military commander Hou Junji to defeat and annex Gaochang (Karakhoja)—the first attempt by any Chinese dynasty to set up a permanent military and political presence in the region since Fu Jian in the 4th century. In 644,after Karasahr (Yanqi)—an ally in the campaign against Karakhoja—turned against Tang and allied with the Western Turkic Khaganate,the Tang commandant at Karakhoja,Guo Xiaoke,attacked and captured the King of Karasahr,Long Tuqizhi,but Karasahr subsequently rebelled. In 648,the ethnically Turkic Tang general Ashina She'er who was the second son of Shibi Khan,attacked both Karasahr and Kucha in the northern Tarim,conquering both. Kashgar and Khotan in the western Tarim then also submitted to Tang,allowing the dynasty to dominate the region until it was briefly seized by Tibet during the reign of Emperor Taizong's son Emperor Gaozong.
The Dzungarian Gate is a geographically and historically significant mountain pass between China and Central Asia. It has been described as the "one and only gateway in the mountain-wall which stretches from Manchuria to Afghanistan,over a distance of three thousand miles [4,800 km]." Given its association with details in a story related by Herodotus,it has been linked to the location of legendary Hyperborea.
The Kaidu River,also known under its ancient name Chaidu-gol,is a river in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China and an important source of water for the region. The Kaidu River is responsible for many substantial effects on the environment. Affecting the land and its people in many different ways.
The Danube is the second-longest river in Europe,after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe,from the Black Forest south into the Black Sea. A large and historically important river,it was once a frontier of the Roman Empire. In the 21st century,it connects ten European countries,running through their territories or marking a border. Originating in Germany,the Danube flows southeast for 2,850 km (1,770 mi),passing through or bordering Austria,Slovakia,Hungary,Croatia,Serbia,Romania,Bulgaria,Moldova,and Ukraine. Among the many cities on the river are four national capitals:Vienna,Bratislava,Budapest,and Belgrade. Its drainage basin amounts to 817,000 km²and extends into nine more countries.
China National Highway 218 (G218) runs from Yining,Xinjiang to Ruoqiang,Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture,Xinjiang. It is 1,067 kilometres in length and runs southeast from Yining towards Ruoqiang. The road starts at the Kazakh border. (West of Yining it may have a different number .) It passes Yining (Kulja) and follows the natural trade route east along the upper valley of the Ili River. It enters higher country and south of Urumchi turns south and crosses the Tien Shan mountains. It then enters the oasis country around Korla and Karashahr and then crosses the Tarim Basin along the old bed to the Tarim River to Ruoqiang (Charkilik) on the south side of the basin. With highways 314 and 315 it forms a loop around most of the Tarim basin.
The Klamath River is a river in southern Oregon and northern California in the United States. This article describes its course.
The Southern Xinjiang railway or Nanjiang railway,is a railway between Turpan and Kashgar in Xinjiang,China. The railway is 1,446 km (899 mi) in length and runs along the southern slope of the Tian Shan mountain range,connecting all major cities and towns of the Northern Tarim Basin,including Turpan,Hejing,Yanqi,Korla,Luntai (Bügür),Kuqa,Toksu (Xinhe),Aksu,Maralbexi (Bachu),Artux,and Kashgar.
Tiemenguan is a county-level city in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region,China. It is located 50 kilometres (31 mi) west of Korla and 500 kilometres (310 mi) southwest of the regional capital Ürümqi.
The Shule Kingdom was an ancient oasis kingdom of the Taklamakan Desert that was on the Northern Silk Road,in the historical Western Regions of what is now Xinjiang in Northwest China. Its capital was Kashgar,the source of Kashgar's water being a river of the same name. Much like the neighboring people of the Kingdom of Khotan,people of Kashgar spoke Saka,one of the Eastern Iranian languages.
