Facial reconstructions of 2,000-year-old Loulan Tocharians from Xinjiang, China Their remains come from a cemetery located in the suburbs of the city of Loulan, dating to a period slightly before the widespread adoption of Buddhism among the people of Loulan. The population of Loulan during the historical period was multi-ethnic, with the primary population being Tocharian. The Tocharians were an Indo-European people who once inhabited what is now Xinjiang. They are likely the descendants of Afanasievo-derived populations that settled in and near the Xinjiang region. By around 200 BC, Tocharian city-states had emerged around oasis centers, among which Loulan was one of the largest. These cities also functioned as key waystations along the northern branch of the Silk Road, skirting the Taklamakan Desert. Over the following centuries, control of the Tarim Basin shifted among several major powers, including the Han dynasty, the Xiongnu, the Tibetan Empire, and later the Tang dynasty. From the 8th century AD onward, Uyghur groups settled in the region and established the Kingdom of Qocho, which ruled much of the Tarim Basin. Their descendants are the modern Yugur people. The female skull was described as narrow and long, with a low cranial vault, a steep forehead, and moderately developed brow ridges and glabella. The nasion was shallow, and the nasal bones were moderately elevated. Her face was relatively broad, with moderate projection at the levels of the nose and cheekbones. The orbits were of medium proportions, the canine fossae were shallow, and the external occipital protuberance was prominent. The skull was classified as closest to the Europoid Mediterranean type. The male skull was described as having a high cranial vault, a receding forehead, prominent brow ridge, and a strongly projecting nasal region with a deeply recessed nasal root. His face was broad, with orbits of medium height. Morphologically, he was classified as Europid, intermediate between the Mediterranean and Pamir-Fergana types, and possibly representing a variant of the Mediterranean type (Han Kangxin, 1986).