Taklamakan Desert of water, accounts for the somewhat wide diurnal temperature variation. The Taklamakan Desert has very little water, therefore it is hazardous to cross. Merchant caravans on the Silk Road would stop for relief at the thriving oasis towns. It was in close proximity to many of the ancient civilizations — to the Northwest is the Amu Darya basin, to the southwest the Afghanistan mountain passes lead to Iran and India, to the east is China, and even to the north ancient towns such as Almaty can be found. The key oasis towns, watered by rainfall from the mountains, were Kashgar,
Studio in the Country the studio in 1979, and later sold it in 1997 to current owner Debra Farmer. Ben Mumphrey has been the studio's general manager and chief engineer since 2007. Numerous multi-platinum records were recorded, partially recorded or mixed at Studio in the Country, including classic albums by Kansas such as "Leftoverture" and "Point of Know Return", each of which contained hits – "Carry On Wayward Son" (which reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100) on the former and Top 10 single "Dust in the Wind" on the latter. Other platinum albums from Studio in the Country include "Save His Soul"