The Second Expedition
20 April 1906 - 13 November 1908

Serindia - the scholarly official report on the Second Expedition -
Ruins of Desert Cathay - the personal narrative of the Second Expedition
On the second and much longer expedition Stein began with a detour over a new route westward from the first one
in order to study indigenous people in northern India.
On 20 April 1906 - Stein departed Kashmir.
On 28 April - He departed Peshawar enroute Swat valley
Stein visited Swat and Dir
On 4 May - He passed through Chitral via Lowarai Pass
On 11 May - He examined Buddhist rock carvings then marched to Mostuj
On 16 May - He on foot made the Darkot Glacier pass, just visiting on the 17th before crossing the Baroghil.
On 19 May - He reached the Wakhan corridor via Baroghil saddle
On 20 May - He stayed at Sarhad, Afghanistan
On 22-23 May - He rode toward the Wakhjur Pass crossing it on 27 May
On 28 May - He stayed with Kirgiz at Tigharmansu in the Taghdumabash Pamir
On 4 June - Stein continued from Kara-kapa through the gorge to the Chichiklik plateau.
On 6 June - He crossed the Kashka-su Dawan ridge line, near 13,000 feet.
On 8 June - He reached Kashgar - the headquarters for all three expeditions because
it was the seat of the British representative of the Government of India.
On 21 June - Stein visited yet another ancient ruin at Och-merwan, another stupa and two small forts
On 23 June - Stein departed Kashgar for Yarkand and on to Khotan
On 26 June - He reached Yarkand
On 2 July - He departed toward Karghalik
On 7 July - He departed Karghalik going south to Kok-yar where he spent days editing and writing letters.
On 25 July Stein departed Kok-yar to Khotan
On 5 August - He reached Khotan.
He spent last part of August and early September searching for the sources of the Khotan rivers far to the south.
On 19 August - Stein moved his camp to the foot of the Otrughul Glacier, as far into the mountain gorges as he could go.
On 22 August - He moved eastward toward Karanghu-tagh.
On 5 September - Stein started back toward Khotan
On 8 September -Stein was greeted as he entered Khotan with a 'Dastarkhan'
On 14 September - He was back at Rawak for more excavations until 20 September.
On 24 September - Stein surveyed and excavated at Khadalik until 1 October
On 3 October - Stein explored Domoko
On 6 October - He left Domoko going eastward toward Keriya
On 13 October - He left Keriya
On 20 October - He began extensive excavations at Niya
On 22 October - He continued clearing at Nxx at Niya
On 24 October - He shifted to Nxxiv where he found extensive documents
On 30 October - He completed work at Niya and moved back to Ja'far - sadiq
On 1 November - He departed Niya for Endere and Charchan.
On 8 November - Stein continued south east to reach the Endere stupa he had excavated in 1901.
On 15 November - Stein set out eastward to Charchan, a 106 mile, 6 day journey.
On 21-23 November - He stopped at Charchan.
On 29 November - 1 December - Stein explored Vash-shahri
On 3 - 6 December - Stein stopped at Charklik to recruit labor and hire camels
On 8 December - He stopped briefly at Miran where he conducted preliminary excavations.
On 11 December - Stein departed Miran, headed to Lou-lan
On 14 - 16 December - He was crossing Lop Nor.
On 17 December - He was at Lou lan.
On 27 December - He received mail from England and India and then moved back toward Abdal and Miran.
On 5 February 1907 - He was back at Miran and then back to Abdal.
On February 11 - Stein was enroute from Miran to Abdal
On 21 February - He started east along the southern border of the Lop sea.
On 7 March - He found the first of the watch towers on the Han dynasty wall.
On 9 March - He continued along the wall to the east.
On 10 March - He found Khara-nor - the 'dark lake'
On 11 March - He reached Tun-huang oasis and its northern limes.
On 16 March - Stein went to the 'cave of the 1000 Buddhas' SE of Tun-huang.
On 23 March - He started due north of Tun-hung to go back for more detailed study of the towers.
On 27 March - He moved south east to Towers on the wall line.
On 31 March the temperature was still 39 degrees below freezing as he moved east to a line of towers.
On 3 April - He returned to his base camp.
On 6 April - He reached Nan-Hu oasis.
On 11 April - he moved north from Nan-hu and found recently ruined villages.
On 13 April it was now getting hot as he again excavated towers along the western end of the Han wall.
On 14 April - He reached watch tower Txii (fig. 181) on the limes.
May found Stein negociating the purchase of the doucuments and paintings from the 'caves'.
On 13 June - Stein left Tun-huang heading east toward An-hsi.
He remained in An-hsi until 19 June.
On 20 June - He found two more old towers SW of An-hsi.
On 24 June 1907 - Stein departed to the south into the high mountains, the Nan-shan.
On 29 June - Stein was moving into the mountains near Ta-shih village on the road from An-hsi.
On 3 July - Stein left the cave of the Myriad Buddhas to explore the western Nan-shan for 2 months.
On 22 July - Stein reached Su-chou and stayed 6 days.
From 27 August - Stein spent 6 days into September at Kan-chou.
On 25 September - Stein returned to An-hsi and prepared to cross the desert to Hami.
On 2 November - He reached Turfan.
On 13 November - Stein started down the narrow valley (map 59) to the ruin at Chong-hassar.
On 18 November - Stein left Besh-tam going north to Toyuk.
On 1 December - Stein left Turfan for Kara-shahr.
On 8 December - Stein reached Kara-shahr village.
On 11 December - Stein left Kara-shahr via Korla road to Sharchuk, 16 miles to the SW, and visited more Buddhist shrines north of Ming-oi.
On 23 December - Stein finished work at Ming-oi and sent a convoy of antiques to Korla.
On 26 December - He left Khora to reach Shik chin.
On 27 December - He reached the Korla oasis.
On 27-28 December - Stein was at the oasis NE corner of the Tarim Basin where the large river that drains Lake Baghrash flows out and becomes the Kinche-darya.
In January 1908 - Stein went SW from Korla with guides into the desert for two days to reach the Konche-darya.
On 9 January - Stein went to see another reported site and did find a ruin across the Charchak River 2 miles north of Inchike River.
On 17 January - He prepared at Kucha to cross the Takla Makan directly going straight south. This was the most dangerous exploit of his expeditions.
On 25 January - He left Kucha town to reach Shahyar on the 26th.
On 30 January - He crossed the frozen Tarim River and into the desert.
On 12 February - He reached Kara dong.
On 22 February - Stein left Kara dong going south up the river to meet a team coming north from Khotan.
On 25 February - He met Turdu's nephew coming north with men at Kuchkar-aghil.
On 13 March - Stein went south past Domoko to visit a Buddhist shrine at Kara-yantak.
On 19 March - He returned to Domoko and then went NW into the desert to Ulug-Mazar again via Domoko.
On 22 March - He went south to Chira
On 24 March - He went west to the edge of the Khotan district.
On 30 March - He reached Khotan again.
On 5 April - Stein again headed north, back across the desert toward Ak-su on the T'ien-shan.
On 11 April - He moved down the Khotan River to Islamabad, the northern most part of the Khotan district.
On 13 April - He left Islamabad going north.
On 16 April - He sighted the ridge at Mazar Tagh with its impressive ruined fortress which he excavated for a week.
On 28 April - He crossed the Tarim a mile below (east) its confluence with the Yarkand and Aksu Rivers.
On 6 May - He left Ak-su to visit Uch-Turfan and Kelpin in the mountains.
On 8 May - He moved from the west bank of Tushkan -darya.
On 11 May - Stein left Uch and found another watch tower at Kong tai. He then explored the Kelpin oasis region.
On 19 May - He moved SW and found more coins from Sung Dynasty.
On 21 May - He reached Marl bashi.
On 9 June - He returned to Khotan to prepare the journey back to India which took 6 weeks of careful packing of artifacts in 93 special containers loaded on camels.
On 3 August - Stein departed on his round about exploration through the K'un lun mountains.
He was determined to find the head waters of the major rivers that flowed north.
He spent August and September exploring the high plateaus and mountain ranges of the K'un lun.
On 22 September - Stein went up a glacier northward for 10 hours to reach the crest at 20,000 feet near a peak of 23071 feet.
He had great views but the temperature was 16 degrees below freezing. The result of his rash determination was frost bite that cost him several toes.
On 3 October - He crossed the Karakorum Pass at 18,687 feet in a litter.
On 12 October - He reached Leh in India where his foot was operated on and he rested.
On 1 December - He started for India and Dehra Dun and Calcutta.
On 20 January 1909 - He reached London.