Loulan was an ancient kingdom and city near Lop Nur that became an important oasis station on routes across the eastern Tarim Basin.
The kingdom appears in Chinese historical records under the name Shanshan after a political change in the 1st century BCE. Its settlements depended on water in an environment that later became much drier and more difficult to inhabit. Loulan’s position allowed it to connect routes between China, the Tarim Basin, and Central Asia.
Archaeological remains include wooden structures, documents, textiles, and evidence of irrigation. The site was abandoned or greatly reduced after environmental and hydrological changes, though scholars debate the relative importance of water management, shifting river courses, and political conditions.
Loulan is often confused with the entire Shanshan kingdom, but Loulan was a major city and earlier political name associated with the region. Its ruins are now in an extremely remote part of Xinjiang, making the ancient oasis a striking example of how Silk Road settlements depended on fragile water systems.