The Karakum stretches for about 350,000 square kilometres — bigger than the entire country of Germany. Sand dunes ripple across it like frozen waves, some of them taller than a four-storey building. In summer the surface can reach 80 degrees Celsius, hot enough to fry an egg.
Even though the desert looks empty, all sorts of creatures have made it their home. Sand cats, monitor lizards, desert spiders and the rare Karakum cobra all live here. Many animals sleep underground during the hottest part of the day and come out at night when the air is cooler.
People have crossed the Karakum for thousands of years. Ancient camel caravans loaded with silk and spices used special routes called the Silk Road to travel through it safely. Travellers knew exactly where to find the wells and resting spots along the way.
Today a big canal — the Karakum Canal — brings water all the way from the Amu Darya river through the desert. It is one of the longest irrigation canals in the world and lets people grow cotton and vegetables in places that were once pure sand.