Kashgar (Chinese pinyin: Kashi) is the capital city of Kashgar Prefecture in the western region of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. This prefecture faces the Taklamakan Desert in the east, Pamir Plateau in the west, and the Kunlun Mountain Range in the south. It has an area of more than 111,000 square kilometers and a population of about 3.7 million that represent 31 ethnic groups.
Kashgar boasts a continental climate which is suitable for the growth of wheat, maize, cotton, barley, rape, sesame, and peanut crops. There is a very important Sunday Bazzar in Kashgar. Each Sunday, thousands of farmers from the different towns and villages come to the city to sell a wide variety of goods, including: fruits, vegetables, livestock, silk, carpets, jewelry, and other handicrafts and so on. The open-air market is composed of narrow alleyways, with merchants and shoppers busy bargaining over prices.
Most Uyghurs and people from other ethnic groups in Kashgar still wear their traditional costumes that are centuries-old, while living traditionally. Numerous cultural sites are maintained present-day, including the Old City which is the best-preserved traditional Islamic city in Asia. Due to its reputation it attracts more than 1 million tourists every year.
Other famous and well-preserved sites include the largest mosque in China, which is Id Kah Mosque and the Abakh Khoja Mausoleum; considered the holiest Muslim site in Xinjiang. Visiting Kashgar city will be like a journey in time to a thousand years ago. You will appreciate the architecture that have preserved traditional Muslim styles.
