Lop Nur, lying east of Korla and covering 3,000 square kilometres, was an important station on the Silk Road and once a very large lake. In the Han dynasty, Lop Nur was such a vast lake that it was often mistaken as the source of the Yellow River. However, over deforestation and environmental deterioration caused by human activity curtailed the lifespan of the lake and during the 4th century A.D. codes and regulations had to be introduced to control the use of the insufficient water. When Marco Polo reached Lop Nur in 1275 he found nothing more than sand. Its contraction continued and Lop Nur finally disappeared in 1972.

In 1996 a famous explorer, Yu Chunshun, died accidentally in Lop Nur on his expedition, and before him, another Chinese scientist, Peng Jiamu lost his life there whilst carrying out his research 1n 1979.