Dandan Oilik, Archaeological site in Qira County, China.

Dandan Oilik is an archaeological site in the Taklamakan Desert where ruins spread across several square kilometers, preserving an ancient settlement with houses, temples, and many objects from the past. The site sits within a larger oasis area and displays the remains of structures that were buried beneath desert sand.

The site was discovered in 1896 by Swedish explorer Sven Hedin, who uncovered houses and temples hidden beneath desert sand. These findings helped researchers understand how people lived in this region more than a thousand years ago.

The site is off-limits, so the finds are seen in museums: Aurel Stein sent the painted wooden panels, including one he read as the silk-princess story from Xuanzang, to the British Museum. A mural of a woman in a lotus pool from Shrine D. II was identified as Hariti by Banerjee in 1992 and confirmed by scholars in 2015.

Dandan Oilik is off-limits to the public, so no visit can be arranged and no permit grants entry. The ruins lie in the Taklamakan Desert of Qira County, between the Khotan and Keriya rivers, roughly 60 km east of the Khotan River and 35 km west of the Keriya River, at about 1,243–1,258 m elevation. The 2006 survey left much of the 4.5 km² central site unexcavated.

The Judeo-Persian letter found here by Aurel Stein was edited and dated to 718 by David Samuel Margoliouth, making it the earliest record of Jewish trade activity reaching Jieshe (Dandan Oilik) and beyond in China up to 2016. It concerns the sale of sheep, complaints of unfair treatment, and the teaching of a girl, and is now held in the British Museum.