Kashgar

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KASHGAR, XINJIANG - JULY 17: Uighur man roasts lamb on July 17, 2013 in Markit County, Kashgar, China. The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, referred to as "Xinjiang", is located in Central Eurasia, in the northwest of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km, acounting for 1/6 of the total land area of China. Xinjiang borders with Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Mongolia, India and Afghanistan. According to Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Bureau of statistics, the resident population of about 21,810,000, which the minority population accounts for about 60.5%. The ethnic minorities in Xinjiang include Uygur, Kazak, Hui, Kirgiz, Mongolia, Tajik, Manchu, Xibe, Uzbek, Russian Buick family, Daur, Tatar etc.. Islam has a great influence in social life in Xinjiang. (Photo by Kevin Zen/Getty Images)

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Overview

Locked away in the westernmost corner of China, closer to Tehran and Damascus than to Běijīng, Kashgar (喀什; Kāshí) has been the epicentre of regional trade and cultural exchange for more than two millennia.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Shipton’s Arch

Kashgar

This extraordinary natural rock arch (the rather prosaic Uyghur name means simply ‘mountain with a hole in it’) is one of the tallest on earth. The first…

Sunday Livestock Market

Kashgar

No visit to Kashgar is complete without a trip to the Livestock Market, which takes place once a week on Sunday. The day begins with Uyghur farmers and…

Grand Sunday Bazaar

Kashgar

Kashgar’s main bazaar is open every day but really kicks it up a gear on Sunday. Step through the jam-packed entrance and allow your five senses to guide…

Abakh Hoja Mausoleum

Kashgar

This 3-hectare mausoleum complex was built by the Khoja family, who ruled the region in the 17th and 18th centuries. Widely considered the holiest Muslim…

Kashgar Old Town

Kashgar

The Old Town is the soul of Kashgar, and as such the government has spent much of the past two decades knocking it down block by block and building a…

Id Kah Mosque

Kashgar

The yellow-tiled Id Kah Mosque, which dates from 1442, is the spiritual and physical heart of the city. Enormous (it's the largest mosque in Xinjiang),…

Mor Pagoda

Kashgar

At the end of a 45km drive northeast of Kashgar are the ruins of Ha Noi, a Tang-dynasty town built in the 7th century and abandoned in the 12th century…