Nia, a town two marches from Kiria according to Johnson, or four according to Shaw, is probably the ancient city of Ni-jang of the ancient Chinese Itineraries, which lay 30 or 40 miles on the China side of Pima, in the middle of a great marsh, and formed the eastern frontier of Khotan bordering on the Desert. (J.  R. G. S. XXXVII. pp. 13 and 44; also Sir H. Rawlinson in XLII. p. 503:  Erskine’s Baber and Humayun, I. 42; Proc.  R. G. S. vol. xvi. pp. 244-249; J.  A. S. B. IV. 656; H. de la V. de Khotan, u.s.)

[The Charchan of Marco Polo seems to have been built to the west of the present oasis, a little south of the road to Kiria, where ruined houses have been found.  It must have been destroyed before the 16th century, since Mirza Haidar does not mention it.  It was not anterior to the 7th century, as it did not exist at the time of Hiuen Tsang. (Cf. Grenard, III. p. 146.)

Grenard says (pp. 183-184) that he examined the remains of what is called the old town of Charchan, traces of the ancient canal, ruins of dwellings deep into the sand, of which the walls built of large and solid-baked bricks, are pretty well preserved.  Save these bricks, “I found hardly anything, the inhabitants have pillaged everything long ago.  I attempted some excavating, which turned out to be without result, as far as I was concerned; but the superstitious natives declared that they were the cause of a violent storm which took place soon after.  There are similar ruins in the environs, at Yantak Koudouk, at Tatrang, one day’s march to the north, and at Ouadjchahari at five days to the north-east, which corresponds to the position assigned to Lop by Marco Polo.” (See Grenard’s Haute Asie on Nia.)

Palladius is quite mistaken (l.c. p. 3.) in saying that the “Charchan” of Marco Polo is to be found in the present province of Karashar. (Cf. T.  W. Kingsmill’s Notes on Marco Polo’s Route from Khoten to China, Chinese Recorder, VII. pp. 338-343; Notes on Doctor Sven Hedin’s Discoveries in the Valley of the Tarim, its Cities and Peoples, China Review, XXIV.  No.  II. pp. 59-64.)—­H.  C.]

CHAPTER XXXIX.

OF THE CITY OF LOP AND THE GREAT DESERT.

Lop is a large town at the edge of the Desert, which is called the Desert of Lop, and is situated between east and north-east.  It belongs to the Great Kaan, and the people worship Mahommet.  Now, such persons as propose to cross the Desert take a week’s rest in this town to refresh themselves and their cattle; and then they make ready for the journey, taking with them a month’s supply for man and beast.  On quitting this city they enter the Desert.