汉朝初期：楼兰屈从于汉朝与匈奴
历史上第一次提到楼兰是在公元前126年，那是匈奴单于给中国皇帝的来信中提到的，他在信中吹嘘要征服月氏、乌孙、楼兰和呼揭“以及附近的二十六国”。公元前126年，中国特使张骞将楼兰描述成罗布泊湖附近一座要塞城市。
因其位于前汉和后汉时期中国通往西方的主要路线上，直到公元2世纪，有关楼兰的管辖权属于中国还是匈奴一直存有争议。在汉书中，曾有一些描述楼兰与汉朝政府之间交流的细节。
公元前2世纪，汉武帝在听到张骞有关这个国家的介绍后，非常热衷于扩大与大元（费尔干纳）的往来。然而，由于楼兰和姑师骚扰汉朝使者，导致这种往来非常困难。公元108年，汉朝攻打了楼兰，楼兰国王被俘，后来楼兰同意向中国朝拜。匈奴得知这一事件后也攻打楼兰，楼兰国王只好将他的一个儿子作为人质送到匈奴，另一个儿子送往汉朝。后来，楼兰国王被送到汉朝并被讯问他与匈奴的关系。汉武帝很满意他的回答，所以释放了他。
公元前92年楼兰国王去世，他的国人请求汉朝将王子放回楼兰。然而，汉朝朝廷已经因王子触犯汉律而将其阉割，所以拒绝了这个请求，却假称汉皇帝太喜欢他而不让他离开。楼兰的新国王上任了，他的儿子也作为人质被派往汉朝。这个国王死后，匈奴将人质王子归还给楼兰，并助其登上王位，他的名字叫做常归或安归。汉朝听说后，要求新国王自己出使汉朝，被国王拒绝了，因为事实上没有任何一个人质可以从汉朝返回楼兰。
公元前77年，在好几个汉朝特使被暗杀或绑架后，中国派特使傅介子去刺杀楼兰国王。他假托携带黄金和贵重物品给外国并假装要赠送国王礼物，等到楼兰国王喝醉的时候就乘机刺死了他。接着，汉朝朝廷任命国王的弟弟尉屠耆担任楼兰国王，并将楼兰更名为鄯善王国。
Shanshan：The life and death of the Chinese puppet state
After the Han Dynasty had gained control of Loulan， the renamed kingdom Shanshan became a Chinese puppet state. The newly-installed king requested that the presence of Han forces be established in Yixun（variously identified as Miran）， due to his fear of retribution from the sons of the assassinated king in Loulan. Chinese army officers were therefore sent to colonise the area， and an office of commandant was established at Yixun. While the name of the kingdom was changed to Shanshan by the Chinese， the Loulan region continued to be known as "Loulan" by the locals.
A military colony of 1，000 men was established at Loulan in 260 AD by the Chinese General So Man. Loulan was also recorded as a dependent kingdom of Shanshan in the 3rd century. The site was abandoned in 330 AD due to lack of water when the Tarim River， which supported the settlement， changed course and the military garrison was moved 50 kilometres （31 mi） south to Haitou. The region remained under Chinese control intermittently. The fort of Yingpan to the northwest remained under Chinese control until the Tang Dynasty. According to Weishu， in 442 AD， the king of Shanshan， named Bilong， fled to Qiemo together with half of his countrymen after an attack by Juqu Anzhou on Loulan， and Shanshan then came to be ruled by Qiemo. At the end of the 6th century， the Sui Dynasty established the city state of Shanshan at Loulan.
From beyond the 5th century， however， the land was frequently invaded by nomads and the area became gradually abandoned. At around 630 （at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty period）， the remaining Shanshan people， led by Shan Fu Tuo， migrated to Hami in the Northern area and the area was completely abandoned. The Buddhist pilgrim Xuanzang， who passed through this region in 644 on his return from India to China， wrote， "A fortress exists， but not a trace of man".
鄯善国：中国傀儡国的生死存亡
汉代控制了楼兰以后，将其改名为鄯善王国，鄯善成为中国的傀儡。新国王要求汉朝在伊循（后来改名为米兰）地区安插汉朝军队，因为他害怕被暗杀的楼兰国王的儿子来找他报仇。中国打发军官去开拓这个殖民地地区，还在那里设置了一个司令官办公室。尽管汉朝政府将楼兰国名改了，但当地人仍继续称之为“楼兰”。
公元260年，中国将军苏牧在楼兰建立了一个1000人的军事殖民地，也有记载称，楼兰在3世纪时是一个独立的鄯善王国。这个遗址在公元330年遭到遗弃，那是因为提供水源的塔里木河改道导致缺水，军事部队转移到海头以南50公里（31英里）处。该地区仍然间歇地处于中国的控制之下。直到唐代，楼兰西北方的营盘炮台仍处于中国的管辖之内。根据魏书记载，公元442年，在遭遇沮渠安周的袭击之后，鄯善国王比龙带着一半的同胞逃到楼兰的且末地区，从此鄯善国就由且末控制了。6世纪末，隋朝在楼兰成立鄯善城邦。
然而，5世纪以后这块土地遭到游牧民族的频繁入侵，后来逐渐沦为废墟。公元630年左右（唐朝初期），鄯伏陁率领的鄯善人余部迁徙到北部地区的哈密地区，原来那个地方就彻底废弃了。公元644年，佛教圣僧玄奘在从印度返回中国的途中曾经过此地，他写道：“要塞之地，却无人烟。”
Decryption of Loulan’s disappearance
No doubt the cosmopolitan nature of Loulan boosted its vitality and longevity. But after eight hundred years， increasing aridity sapped Loulan of its resources， then its people. It is believed that a catastrophic， prolonged sandstorm reduced it to a ghost town.
Returning from his Western journeys during the Tang Dynasty， Tang Xuanzang had already seen the bleak scene of the Loulan city buildings， with very few people. Roughly around the year 630， Loulan suffered a natural disaster of epic proportions. The humans unceased deforestation， raging sandstorms covered the region， rerouting the waterways and literally transformed the city into a desert wasteland. To this day， the terrain is barely navigable and there are severe weather fluctuations. In the summer， the temperature has been known to shift from below 0℃ to over 30℃ from the night to the daytime. The region is extremely arid and continues to be subjected to frequent wind and sand storms. Conditions are so harsh that the area has become known as the “Death Sea.”
解密楼兰消失之谜
毫无疑问，楼兰的国际大都会特质增强了其活力和长寿，但800年后日渐严重的干旱先是削弱了楼兰的资源，然后侵蚀了它的居民。人们普遍认为是灾难性的长期沙尘暴将楼兰沦落为一座空城。
唐朝时，唐玄奘西游归来看到的楼兰国就已经是城廓岿然，人烟断绝的萧条景象。大约630年左右，楼兰遭遇了百年难遇的自然灾害，人类不断砍伐森林，肆虐的沙尘暴覆盖此区域，改变了水道并将古城变为名副其实的沙漠荒地。直至今天，这里的虽然勉强通航但天气的波动依然起伏巨大。在夏季，这里的温度可以从晚上的0度以下的低温转变到白天的30度以上的高温。该地区极端干旱并继续遭受频繁的风沙天气，条件十分恶劣，因而又有“死亡之海”之称。
2. Legendary relics of the“Oriental Pompeii”
A Swedish adventurer named Sven Hedin and his guide discovered Loulan on March 28， 1900. The discovery actually caused a great sensation at the time， and Loulan was reputed as the "Oriental Pompeii." For more than 100 years since， Loulan has stirred the enthusiasm of adventurers， historians and travelers both from China and abroad. The ancient cities of Loulan， Miran and Niya， as well as Loulan Beauty…one miracle after another has persistently aroused people"s attention.
“东方庞贝城”的传奇遗迹
1900年3月28日，一个名为斯文赫定的瑞典冒险家和他的向导发现了楼兰。这个发现在当时引起了极大的轰动，楼兰也被誉为“东方庞贝城”。之后的100多年来，楼兰一直是中国乃至世界各地探险家、史学家、旅行家研究考察的热点。楼兰古城、米兰遗址、尼雅遗迹、楼兰美女……一个又一个楼兰之谜引起世人的关注。
Ruins of the Ancient City of Loulan：The wooden Buddhist pagoda and the traces of red paint
The ruins unearthed so far cover an area of over 100，000 square meters， filled with the ruins of city walls， residential buildings， palaces， temples， workshops and towers， as well as broken beams and pillars.