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Gobi expedition pre-release

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

For other trips, expeditions and challenges, click the boxes below

Expedition to Mauritania... and a hasty exit
Mauritania and Western Sahara travel article, click here


Murzuq 2006 - Desert Heroes Remembered, November 2006
Expedition to explore the Long Range Desert Group's 1941 raid - click here


Awbari Sand Sea, Libyan dune crossing, Nov 2005
Read the eventful Libya tale - click here


Canyoning in French Gorges du Tarn, June 2005 -
A wet-and-wonderful trip to the Gorges des Tarn, France

Land Rover 101FC Ambi, unstoppable vehicle, now sold
Unstoppable overlanding vehicle for camping conversion

Tibetan Driving Challenge 2004
10,000km off-road adventure-drive through China and Tibet

Expedition to Egypt's Western Desert
A spectacular solitude encircled by shimmering horizons...

Siwa Oasis and the Temple of Amun
Travels to a lost quarter of the Western Desert

Land Rover in the Auvergne,
French randonée 'Pistes des Lions' - click here

'Morocco Off-Piste', November 2001
Moroccan travel diary - click here

Chinguetti - City in the Sand
Mauritania, visit to a holy islamic site, click here

An Expatriate in Saudi Arabia, 1976
UK photographer sets up shop in the Arabian Desert

Maccus to Maxwell - A Family History
A repository of family history, legends, pictures and tales

Building websites for clients is one
of our chief activities, and some
recently published sites are listed below.

http://www.annebaring.com
A richly illustrated collection of books, lectures and seminars by writer, author and
lecturer Anne Baring.
http://www.lebarry.co.uk
A luxurious holiday property to rent in
Southern France, complete with pool,
tennis court and house staff.
http://www.lynmaxart.com
An interpretive portfolio of sculpture, paintings
and drawings by the renowned artist and
writer Lyn Constable Maxwell
Tours exhibition October 2009
http://www.hillgarthart.com
Properties for rent and sale,
painting exhibitions and
leisure pursuits
http://www.kitmax.com/jaguar
Sales presentation of two early
Jaguar XK120's, part restored,
both now sold to Internet clients
Property for short or holiday rent
near the historical town of
Loches, France.
Click here for information
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