Over 200 mummies found in desert

Lop Nor is a former, mostly dried-up salt lake located between the Taklamakan and Kumtag deserts in the southeastern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. The lake was about 2,520 square kilometers in 1942, according to local authorities. A satellite image showed the lake dried up in 1958.

Scientists are still exploring the region to determine why it is so parched.

A number of archaeological sites, including Loulan, an ancient kingdom, and the Xiaohe burial site are found near or in the Lop Nor region. These sites are linked with ancient people of Indo-European origin.