KHOTAN, an oasis in the Tarim basin, situated on the Yurung-kash river, on the southern edge of the Takla-makan desert, China. The oasis is about 200 m. S.E. of Yarkand, and from the earliest times it has been the largest and most important of the group of oases along the southern margin of the Tarim basin. The oasis which comprises three towns, Khotan, or Ilchi; Yurung-kash and Kara-kash, occupies a terrace of fertile loess extending for nearly 4o miles along the northern foot of the Kun lun mountains. It owes its fertility to two rivers, the Yurung kash and Kara-kash which later unite to form the Khotan-darya. These rivers afford good irrigation and are responsible for much of the loess on which the oasis has grown up. Some of it is allu vium, washed down by these rivers from the Kunlun, but most of it is the result of subaerial deposit.
Khotan was a relatively weak state in the time of the early Han dynasty, but, in the later part of the first century of our era when China was energetically establishing control over the Tarim basin, its geographical position as the largest oasis and best supply base on the more southerly of the two chief routes to the West, and as a connecting link between Central Asia and India, gave it great importance. Its connection with India is illustrated by the fact that Buddhism reached China via Khotan which was for a time a famous centre of Buddhist learning. A rich prize in itself and the key to many trade routes, Khotan has experienced many fluctuations of political fortune. Con quered by the famous general Pan Ch'ao in A.D. 70 it was held by China during the later Han dynasty, and again under the Tangs in the seventh century when it was one of the four garrison centres from which the Tarim basin was then admin istered. In the following century it was conquered by the Arabs from West Turkistan and in the tenth it was annexed by Kashgar. Genghis Khan captured it in the 13th century and later it was included in the Mongol Central Asian khanate (Changatai). Dur ing this period Marco Polo passed through it (1274) and noted its agricultural wealth, especially of cotton, its commercial im portance and the unwarlike character of its inhabitants. In re
cent centuries it has been one of the chief centres of Moham medan activity in Chinese Central Asia and played a prominent part in the Dungan revolt against Chinese authority and that of Yakub Beg of Kashgar a year or two later.
The surrender of Kashgar and Khotan to the famous "agri cultural army" in 2878 marked the final stage in the reasser tion of Chinese authority and Khotan is now included in the province of Sinkiang, of which it is one of the chief centres. Its administration is typical of an area where irrigation is the basis of economic organization. The oasis is divided into a series of communes, corresponding to the areas irrigated by each of the chief canals. This enables the water to be distributed fairly and ensures that the expenses incidental to the upkeep of the irrigation works are equally divided amongst the peasants.
The oasis is still of outstanding agricultural importance. The staple cereals are wheat, rice, oats, millet and above all Indian corn. The early harvest of the spring-sown crops and the abun dant water-supply in summer permit of its being grown every where as a second crop. The cotton crop is also of great value and good fodder crops of lucerne are grown. So too are great quantities of olives and fruits, including apricots, peaches and apples. There is a considerable export of dried fruit, especially to Aksu in the north and to the smaller oases east of Khotan. The cultivation of the mulberry is carried on everywhere as the basis of the silk industry, of which Khotan is an important centre. It has in addition a large manufacture of carpets and felts and ranks as the chief industrial city of East Turkistan.
Its metal work is famous and there is extensive mining including that of gold which is still washed from the alluvium in the rivers.
For centuries Khotan was famous for jade or nephrite, a semi precious stone greatly esteemed by the Chinese for making small fancy boxes, bottles and cups, mouthpieces for pipes, bracelets, etc.
The population of the oasis is approximately 220,000. Mon golian traits are rare and the peasants on the whole bear a strong resemblance to the "Aryan" Galchas.