It was also known to foreign geographers as Charamannai Nor,[6] Kara-Mannaï-Omo,[7] Karamanni Omo,[8] Hara Manlay Nuur,[9] and Dalay Dabasun,[3] the last meaning "Sea" or "Ocean of Salt", although these names were unknown to locals by the 20th century.
[2] Przhevalsky recorded the local tradition that the burial place of Genghis Khan was found by traveling about 200 km (120 mi) south of Dabasun Nor.
[4] This made the area economically important for trade and popular as a destination along caravan routes, but did little to help locals for whom the salt was nearly worthless.
The salinity of the ground also kept them from growing any crops[2] or keeping cattle, although camels[4] and sheep were able to thrive on the local thorny vegetation.
[5] The lake was still exporting large quantities of salt into the 1930s,[10] but by the early 20th century the revenue was being kept by the local Mongol lord at Hanggin[5] and its reduced economic importance meant that most trade followed the Yellow River around the curve of the Ordos, only bothering with crossing directly across the desert when summer flooding made the river valley impractical.