The Great Game was a term used to describe the battle between Britain and Russia over claim of central Asia.
Several explorers traversed the land making vital discoveries along the way. The first explorer was Przhevalsky whose expedition was financed by the Russian War Department. He wanted to map the Ordos plateau, explore Southern Mongolia, locate the source of the Yellow River and eventually reach Lhasa. Unfortunately, he failed to reach Lhasa countless times but he did discover animal and botanical specimen that were very important. His successor, Kozlov, collected masses of documents from Dunhuang and the ancient capital of Kharakhoto.
In later years Sven Hedin, surveyed and mapped the region while also collecting antiquities along the way. Coming from Berlin University, he was a very good explorer and accomplished many things, the most important being the discovery of the lost city of Loulan.
It seems that the vast majority of explorers who travelled the Silk Road fell in love with it and, although it was dangerous and often threatened to swallow them whole, they remained steadfast and determined. Essentially, they were driven by the ‘game’ that was developing among them. They always wanted to learn more than the explorers that came before them and discover more than anyone had discovered before. Perhaps this is what drove them to return to the desert numerous times. Perhaps to achieve something that hadn’t been achieved before. It was almost as if their failures did not discourage them but rather, motivated them to continue in their quest. Clearly, they were very determined to, first and foremost, make a discovery, and second, make a name for themselves. If they could help their country gain access to central Asia through their discoveries, then their names would be remembered and respected forever, while their story would live on.
However, one is forced to wonder if the game had somehow changed with every explorer that attempted it. Was the objective to claim central Asia before another country did? Or, had it become a battle between nature and human endurance/ stamina? Did the battle eventually become a personal one?
