Miran (Xinjiang)

Miran

Stupa at Miran
Location of Miran in China Show map of Xinjiang Miran (Xinjiang) (China) Show map of China
Location	China
Region	Xinjiang
Coordinates	39°14′03″N 88°56′22″E / 39.23417°N 88.93944°E / 39.23417; 88.93944

Miran (simplified Chinese: 米兰; traditional Chinese: 米蘭) or Mirān is a former city that existed until the 1st millennium, on the southern rim of the Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang, China. Located at an oasis, where the Lop Nur desert meets the Altun Shan mountains, Miran was once a major point on the Silk Road.

Under the name Yuni, Miran was for a time the capital of the ancient kingdom of Kröraina, also known as Loulan, Yuni/Miran was thus part of the broader Tocharian cultures. In the early 1st millennium, it was also a thriving center of Buddhism with many monasteries and stupas.^[1] The Tibetan Empire gained control of the area during the 8th and 9th centuries,^[1] when the Miran fort was built.

As a result of desertification, Miran was later abandoned^[when?], and has since remained virtually unpopulated, isolated from other settlements and difficult to access, due to a lack of paved roads.^{[citation needed]}