Kashgar Old City

The most-restored Uyghur old town in Xinjiang. Mud-brick alleys, Id Kah Mosque, the Sunday Animal Bazaar.

Kashgar is the westernmost city of China, sitting at 1,290 metres in the Tarim Basin at the foot of the Pamir Mountains, where the northern and southern Silk Road routes rejoined after crossing the Taklamakan Desert. For over two millennia it was one of the most significant trading cities in Central Asia — a market at the convergence of routes to China, India, Persia, and the steppe. The Uyghur population, who constitute the majority, are Turkic-speaking Muslims whose cultural and linguistic connections run westward into Central Asia more than eastward into Han China.

The Old City district is Kashgar's historical centre and the area that visitors come specifically to experience. It has been the subject of major reconstruction since approximately 2010: large sections of the original densely packed earthen-brick housing were demolished and rebuilt in a regularised version of the traditional architectural style. The reconstruction is contested — preservation arguments focused on the organic spatial character of the original lanes, officials cited seismic safety concerns. The rebuilt district retains the surface characteristics of a Uyghur mud-brick neighbourhood (carved wooden balconies, narrow alleys, courtyard houses) while lacking the accretion of genuine historical settlement. The Id Kah Mosque at the centre of the old town, dating in its current form to 1442 and one of the largest mosques in China, predates the reconstruction and is the most historically significant structure in the city.

The Sunday Animal Bazaar, located approximately 12 kilometres from the city centre, is a weekly livestock market that draws traders from across the surrounding region — cattle, camels, horses, and sheep change hands in a market format that reflects the pastoral economy of the Pamirs and Karakoram. It operates Sunday mornings and is a different register from the reconstructed old town. Security checks for foreign visitors entering Kashgar have been extensive in recent years; independent travellers should research current procedures before visiting.