Britannica Sources used in this answer

What did Sven Anders Hedin discover during his first Takla Makan expedition?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Map of Asia highlighting the location of the Takla Makan Desert in northwestern China, with the desert area shaded in orange. Surrounding regions, including parts of Europe, Africa, and the Pacific Ocean, are shown for geographic context. An inset in the top right corner provides a global view with the desert's location marked. — Takla Makan Desert The Takla Makan Desert is flanked by high mountain ranges: the Tien Shan to the north, the Kunlun Mountains to the south, and the Pamirs to the west.

During his first trek through the region between 1893 and 1898, the Swedish explorer Sven Anders Hedin discovered artifacts belonging to a previously forgotten Buddhist civilization that had flourished in the Takla Makan Desert during the first millennium CE.1

These findings, along with the maps he produced, were significant as they marked the beginning of successful scientific exploration of the desert and helped stimulate further archaeological interest in the area by other explorers, such as Sir Aurel Stein.1