绿洲环线 · OASIS RING
The Desert Roads Go Around — China · Taklamakan and Tarim Basin
塔克拉玛干位于塔里木盆地内，面积约 33.7 万平方公里。丝路交通并不轻易穿越沙海，而是沿着山麓水源滋养的绿洲边缘绕行。
这片沙漠的重要性在边缘。喀什、和田、库车、吐鲁番不是随机的点，而是山地与沙盆相遇处的水点。
The Taklamakan covers about 337,000 km² inside the Tarim Basin. Silk Road traffic did not cross the sand casually; it followed oasis rims fed by mountains on the basin edge.
The desert’s importance lies at its edge. Kashgar, Khotan, Kuqa and Turpan are not random dots; they are water points where mountains meet a basin of sand.