Kasghar: Uyghur Culture Meets Chinese Development
Back in October during my 10 day vacation I took a trip through Xinjiang. The first step in my trip was Kashgar; the last major holdout of traditional Uyghur culture and architecture in China. Although there are several reasons why I’ll never go back there, there are plenty of reasons why I enjoyed my stay in that fine city.
Frankly, there is not much in the way of tourist destinations in Kashgar. I think of the city as a jumping off point for other sites such as the Taklamakan Desert, Tashkurgan, Karakul Lake, and access to neighboring countries. Despite some difficulties I did manage to visit Karakul Lake but I didn’t have time for any of those other things. Fortunately, I did manage to find a few things to do to keep me occupied during my stay.
But really the reason to go to Kashgar is for the above sites and the culture. Even though Chinese modernization is quickly steamrolling through the city, it is still completely saturated with Uyghur culture and their way of life. It is so radically different from the rest of China that it’s like stepping into another world.
In my mind, that reason alone is good enough to make the journey to Kashgar. And I suggest you do it quickly. Eventually the Old City will be replaced with high-rise apartment buildings and shopping malls. The fantastic character of this unique city will be gone forever.
Near the center of town you can find the 59 ft (18 meter) tall statue of Mao Zedong. I’ve heard somewhere there is a saying that the further you get from Beijing, the bigger the Mao statues are. I don’t know if that’s true but this one is pretty darn big. Unfortunately the location is not exactly the most grandiose place.
The statue sits in front of some banal government building facing a small square and a less-than-stellar park. Being not so picturesque, I think visiting the giant Mao is more for novelty’s sake than anything else because it really is a huge statue. Go see it, take some pictures, and leave. There’s not much else to do in the immediate area.
The Id Kah Mosque is the largest mosque in China and is located inside the Old City. It was built around 1442 and can house up to 20,000 people at one time. The entrance is quite striking and rather large (as so many things are in China) though it didn’t exude the deep feelings of culture and history that I had originally associated with such an important site. To be honest, I think the Great Mosque in Xi’an is way better. Other than a series of lackluster gardens, there’s not much to see inside the mosque itself. I suggest forgoing the 20 RMB entrance fee and sticking your head in for quick peek. That’s really all you’ll need.
Id Kah Mosque sits at the center of a large square surrounded by a plethora of shops and stalls selling all manner of trinkets and snacks. Couple that with the fact that the Old City is just a few blocks away in any direction makes for a pretty neat area to visit. There is a very big downside, however. While I was there I always saw a platoon of soldiers “guarding” the square. They literally stood there all day staring at the mosque. During prayer times there were three or four platoons, about 100 soldiers in all.
Given the riots that occurred back in July it doesn’t surprise me that there was a large military presence. But I find it offensive that the government thinks it’s necessary to station troops outside a place of worship. I’m not religious in any way, but I can easily see how someone would be disgruntled by soldiers standing outside his church/synagogue/mosque/what-have-you watching him like a hawk. The heavy-handed gesture of placing soldiers there really typifies my perception of government attitudes towards China’s minorities.
Kashgar’s Old City is really the biggest draw for the town itself. You could spend hours, if not days, wandering the streets of this quickly disappearing area. I wrote about this place way back in October, and I don’t think there’s a better way to sum up my feelings than what I’ve already written:
The Old City is a glimpse into the traditional Uyghur style of living that, unfortunately, is slowly being demolished to make way for high-rise apartments, plazas, and reproductions of Islamic architecture. If for whatever reason this is of interest to you, I implore you to make the journey to this town before the demolition is complete. It’s a tragedy that an area so full of history and culture is being swept away for the sake of industrialization and modernization. It’s so full of character and charm while the high-rise apartments I see being erected all over China are so completely lacking in it.
Kashgar is known to host two very big markets every weekend: the bazaar and the animal market. Can you guess which one I went to? Unfortunately I only had time for one over the weekend due to my overnight stay at Karakul Lake. I’ve seen plenty of different bazaars all over the world. Also at that point I was on a pretty tight budget so I wasn’t planning on buying any souvenirs so early in my trip. Therefore it was an easy decision to head to the animal market.
I’ve never actually been to anything like an animal market before and let me tell you I was not disappointed. There must have been thousands of animals for sale. Sheep, goats, cows, donkeys, horses, chickens, and all manner of fruits and vegetables. The animals seemed to go on forever. It is a really impressive sight. Though I must say that the smell isn’t pleasant at all.
I spent about an hour walking around viewing the animals and watching the mass of Uyghurs conducting business. For only the price of a bus ticket, visiting the animal market is a great way to kill a few hours.
The Aba Khoja Mausoleum is an easy bus ride about 5 kilometers outside of town. Built in 1640, the tomb is supposedly one of the finest examples of Islamic architecture in Xinjiang. As you can see from the picture, it is very large and very beautiful. It is covered in green and blue glazed tiles that glitter in the bright sun. The building is a tomb so there’s not much to see inside aside from coffins. But the outside was more than enough for me.
There are a number of small attractions in the area, including two decaying mosques, an orchard, and a graveyard. General admittance to the mausoleum also allows you to visit the two mosques. While they have fallen into disrepair, they are still nice for a quick visit. You will be charged extra to visit the other sites (a common tactic to get your money in China). I didn’t bother with those as it didn’t seem to be worth it.
So that wraps up my stay in Kashgar. Coming up next is my trip into the mountains to visit Karakul Lake where I stayed in a yurt overnight with a Uyghur family.
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The mausoleum is simply beautiful. I hope I can make it to Xinjiang before I head back to the U.S.
You should definitely try, despite all the problems it’s a fantastic place.