Loulan Kingdom
𐨐𐨿𐨪𐨆𐨪𐨩𐨁𐨣 (Kroraïna) | |
A carved wooden beam from Loulan in the British Museum, 3rd–4th century. The patterns show influences from ancient western civilizations. | |
Kingdom of Kroraïna Shown within Xinjiang Kingdom of Kroraïna Kingdom of Kroraïna (China) | |
| Alternative name | Lóulán |
|---|---|
| Location | Xinjiang, China |
| Coordinates | 40°31′39.48″N 89°50′26.32″E / 40.5276333°N 89.8406444°E |
| Type | Settlement |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | In ruins |
| Loulan Kingdom | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 樓蘭 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 楼兰 | ||||||
| |||||||
| Uyghur name | |||||||
| Uyghur | كروران | ||||||
| |||||||
The Kingdom of Kroraïna, commonly known by its name in ancient Chinese sources, the Kingdom of Lóulán, was an ancient Tocharian kingdom in the Tarim Basin, today consumed by the Lop Desert. Based around what was at the time an important oasis city along the Silk Road, the Kingdom of Kroraïna was already known as far back as the 2nd century BCE. At the time, it was said to be on the northeastern edge of the Lop Desert. The capital of the kingdom sat alongside aside the lake Lop Nur, which today has dried entirely into desert.
The kingdom was renamed Shanshan (鄯善) after its king was assassinated by an envoy of the Han dynasty in 77 BCE; however, the town at the northwestern corner of Lop Nur retained the name of Loulan. The kingdom included at various times settlements such as Niya, Charklik, Miran and Qiemo. It was intermittently under Chinese control from the early Han dynasty onward until its abandonment centuries later. The ruins of Loulan are near the now-desiccated Lop Nur in the Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang and they are now completely surrounded by desert.