Gurbantünggüt Desert Gurbantünggüt Desert The Gurbantünggüt Desert (; ) occupies a large part of the Dzungarian Basin in northern Xinjiang, in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It is also called by some sources as Dzoosotoyn Elisen Desert, presumably from a Mongolian language. It is approximately 50,000 square kilometers (19,000 mi²), and located around 300 to 600 meters above sea level. It is China's (and Xinjiang's) second largest desert, after Taklamakan Desert, which is located in the Tarim Basin. A remote, arid, and rugged area, Gurbantünggüt Desert is separated by the Tian Shan mountains from the Ili River Basin, Turfan
Wedding Preparations in the Country Wedding Preparations in the Country "Wedding Preparations in the Country" (German: "Hochzeitsvorbereitungen auf dem Lande") is an incomplete work by Franz Kafka which depicts in great detail the journey of the groom, Raban, travelling to the country to meet his future wife, Betty. Written between 1907 and 1908, three fragments with missing pages have survived, and, as with most of Kafka's work, they were published after his death by his friend Max Brod. According to Brod, Kafka's intention was to complete the story as a novel. An English translation of the story appears in "The Complete Stories of Franz Kafka".