THE TAKLAMAKAN DESERT
The Taklamakan Desert, ( also known as the TARIM DESERT ) spans 1500 kilometers from east to west. Fringing the entire length of its southern border are the mighty 5000-7000 meter high peaks of the Kun-Lun Mountain Range, not only some of the highest peaks of Asia, but of the world. Water, melting from the ice-capped summits, erodes the steep slopes, etching its way down into the valleys to form fast-flowing rivers. These rivers bring life into the Taklamakan. Without them, their would be none. They nourish the "necklace" of oases that rim like jewels the merciless, barren desert, whose name in the local Uygur language means literally: "you go in, but never come out!"

As we drive for hundreds of miles through inhospitable desert, there is a stark contrast at the approach of any oasis.The welcoming "dolce vita" ambience is an instantly felt reprieve under shady poplar trees, cooling the passage to grape-trellessed courtyards and earthen homes.

Over the centuries, the ingenuity of the Uygurs paid off. They borrowed the ancient Persian technique of underground irrigation, creating canals from which water does not evaporate, turning desert into farmland. Although it is one of the most remote land-locked places on earth, farthest from any ocean, the Uygurs produce rich and varied crops including ten varieties of grapes, most of the indigenous melons of the planet, pomegranates, walnuts, yellow carrots, and cotton.

Throughout this film, we witness a wide range of cultural subjects and the proof that age-old techniques of "Artisanat" live on today, just as thousands of years ago. There will be scenes of this rich tradition of art and daily life woven together, like an intricate designed silk carpet on a Uygur loom.