Seasoned
voyagers Dr Raymond Bird and Kit Constable-Maxwell
are planning an expedition to the Gobi Desert in October
2009.
In
the far north of China the Great Wall stretches away into the Gobi
Desert. At the desert end lies the garrison town of Khara Khoto. This
was a military fort on the silk route and dates back to 1032. The
region is known as Inner Mongolia
Genghis
Khan captured the town in the year 1227 and established a military
base there. It remained under Mongolian rule for 145 years.
In
1372 Genghis Khan’s influence was on the wane and China’s
new Ming Dynasty was exerting its authority. The great desert fort
was protected by unassailable walls and maintained by a formidable
army. A frontal attack was clearly impractical. So the wily Ming emperor
marshalled a great force to dig a canal to divert the river - and
then they waited…
The
Mongol leader, Khara Bator, soon realised his fate. Fearful of capture,
he killed his own family before running on his sword. The Chinese
entered and town and slaughtered the occupants ‘like cattle’
and left the bodies unburied in the main square.
The
city was never reoccupied and gained a ghostly reputation. It became
known as the ‘Black City’ and is shunned by the Chinese
and Mongolians alike.
The
city was claimed by the desert sands and is now only distinguishable
by it’s 30ft ramparts, crumbling temples and many bleached bones.
Dr
Raymond Bird and Kit Constable-Maxwell have launched an expedition
to visit this site in October 2009. They will be accompanied by Philippa
Treadwell and Suzan Rae, both from diplomatic backgrounds and both
experienced travellers.
We
shall fly to Beijing, take an internal flight to Kashgar and hire
a 4x4 truck. We will set out across the Taklamakan desert where our
route is marked by 18,000ft peaks on one side and open desert on the
other.
We
will camp in the desert, reaching the historic town of Dunhuang a
week later. This renowned centre hosts Buddhist paintings and artefacts
up to 1,000 years old. At the Mogao caves we shall visit some of the
many shrines and examine old documents.
From
Dunhuang we shall make an excursion into the desert to camp at a ‘yardang’
formation, where numerous windblown ridges lie in great parallel corridors
reaching out into the sands.
A
week later we will reach Khara Khoto where we shall enter the city
walls and tread... the sacrificial sands of medieval history.
We
continue to Beijing, the Palace Museum and the Forbidden City. Then
an air flight back home. We expect to return to UK around 4th November.
Kit
Constable Maxwell
kit@kitmax.com
Recent events- Lectures at the
Cavalry and Guards Club
and at the Haslemere Festival, February and May 2009
What
a splendid lecture. Many congratulations on a fascinating, colourful
and successful presentation.
Keith, London
We
both thought your lecture was great. So professional and beautifully
timed with just the right amount of talking, slides and video. The
music was excellent and perfect for the period.
John and Béatrice,
France
We
all thoroughly enjoyed your talk at the Cavalry and Guards Club
and we had a great evening. Hamish, Surrey
We
so enjoyed listening to your amazing journey. You are very good,
of course, at taking pictures. But at commentating the facts, you
are a real professional. Michèle, London
That was a great event you laid on at the Guards Club - the talkie
bits were most informative and of course people were clearly bowled
over by the desert shots. Thanks for a great evening and congratulations
on a prestigious event. Simon, London
