Kashgar, Silk Road, CHINA
Airing Date: Sep 13th, 2004
Kashgar, the last stop on the Silk Road, is in the province of Xinjiang. Xinjiang is huge, about four times the size of Japan. It shares an international border with eight other nations and is the largest province in China, comprising 16% of the country's land surface. The city of Kashgar is closer to Moscow and Delhi than to Beijing, and just 400 kilometres from the border of Pakistan.
The province was named after majority Turkish speaking Muslim Uyghurs at a time when more than 90% of the population was non-Chinese. The north traditionally consisted of nomadic pastoralists, such as the Kazakhs, while the Uyghurs settled in the south in fertile oasis scattered along the ancient Silk Road.
Kashgar's once relative inaccessibility has had a potent effect on its character, setting it a world apart even from the rest of Xinjiang, as well as from the rest of China. The name Kashgar sparks images of a remote desert oasis, the sole outpost of civilisation leading from the vast deserts to the icy peaks, along with exotic bazaars and colourful silks.
Kashgar is no longer so remote but still retains an air of the exotic, mainly due to its amazing ethnic cultural mix. Once a week Kashgar's population swells by 50,000 as people stream into the Sunday Market, described as the most mind-boggling bazaar in Asia.
By sunrise, the roads east of town are a sea of pedestrians, horses, bikes, motorcycles, donkey carts, trucks and tuk tuks. The market offers passers by everything from silks, knives, clothes, livestock, food and more. You can bargain for 60 to 70% off the stated price!
Another major attraction in this city is Kashgar's main mosque, the Idkah Mosque, located in the centre of the city. The yellow and white structure has a central dome and the flanking minarets, usually associated with mosques in Pakistan or Afghanistan.
Shakesimirzha, a ruler of Kashgar, had the first mosque built here in 1442 and it was extended to its present shape through renovation work. Being the largest in China, it attracts more than 10,000 worshipers for prayers on a Friday afternoon. The different buildings consist of Hall of Prayer, Doctrine-Teaching Hall, a gate tower, a pond and some auxiliary rooms.
The facts
China Southern Airlines fly to Beijing via Guangzhou from Melbourne and Sydney with prices starting from $1280.
Contact your travel agent or China Southern Airlines
Sydney: 02 9233 9788
Melbourne: 03 8676 0088
Email: res@cs-air.com.au
Travel Indochina's 19 day Silk Road Small Group Journey includes a visit to Kashgar. Prices start from $3834 per person twin share, which includes transfers, accommodation, guides and breakfast.
Travel Indochina
Tel: 1300 365 355
Suggested reading material: Lonely Planet
Prices correct at 13/09/04
