Kashgar
China – Kashgar | Anno 1998
Where the Taklamakan meets the Pamirs lies one of Central Asia's largest oases. Its name is Kashgar. From here, you can cross the mountains – to the Indian subcontinent or to West Asia and from there to the Mediterranean
Its unique position makes Kashgar a crossroads of cultures and a hub between East and West. This oasis city has been so since before the beginning of our era. And it remains so today
Sometimes it seems as if time has stood still here. Coal is transported by donkey carts
Barely ten years ago, there were no cars in Kashgar and there were waiting lists of five years for a bicycle
In the old town you will find impressive wooden balconies
The People's Republic of China uses the same time zone throughout the country, particularly that of Beijing. This also applies to Kashgar, which is located approximately 3,400 km west of the capital. The clock on the central clock tower is therefore two hours ahead of local solar time
The fact that Kashgar has managed to survive in this hostile desert environment is mainly due to the meltwater that flows from the mountains and the fertile loess, rich in clay minerals, that is carried by the wind
As far as there are rivers, they are usually dry. Water collects a few dozen centimetres underground and then flows slowly eastward. Salt sometimes remains on the surface, covering the ground like a layer of snow
During the first millennium, Buddhism was dominant in the oasis towns around Taklamakan. The weathered remains of a temple structure and a pagoda from the 7th century remind us of this
The side walls of the central temple had niches where Buddha statues were placed. These statues have long since disappeared; even the niches of the sandstone structure are barely visible
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The twelve-meter-high Mor Pagoda, on the other hand, is somewhat better preserved. The three square platforms on which the shrine stands are clearly visible |
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In the 10th century, the Karakhanids ruled the first Turkish empire to impose Islam as the state religion. Today, the vast majority of Uyghurs are Sunni
Dating back to 1442, the Id Kah Mosque remains the largest mosque in China. Its asymmetrical facade, covered with ochre tiles, has a Persian feel
As soon as the worshipper enters the mosque, they find themselves in an oasis of tranquillity amidst the greenery. The mosque is partly designed as an open pavilion
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The prayer hall is simply furnished. The mihrab is centrally located |
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The roof of the semi-open prayer hall is supported by a forest of octagonal green columns. The mosque itself can accommodate ten thousand worshippers. The square in front of the Id Kah can accommodate another ten thousand worshippers
A prayer niche points the direction of Mecca |
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Women are not allowed in the mosque for their religious practice |
The mausoleum of Afaq Khoja (1640) contains the tombs of 72 members of the Khoja family, spanning five generations
For Muslims, this holiest site in Xinjiang is a place of pilgrimage |
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Afaq Khoja was not only a respected Sufi teacher, but also an important religious and political leader in the 17th century |
Undoubtedly, the mausoleum is one of the finest examples of Islamic architecture in China, with its glazed tiles, its 17-meter-high dome, and its four minarets, each differently decorated with arabesques and crowned with a small dome in the shape of an inverted lotus
The 72 tombs are covered with blue glazed tiles. Larger tombs are reserved for male family members, while female family members have to make do with smaller tombs
The most famous tomb is that of the Fragrant Concubine, the granddaughter of Afaq Khoja, who was taken into Emperor Qianlong's harem. Did she successfully resist his advances, as the Uyghurs claim? Or did he manage to win her over, as the Han Chinese claim? We don't know
The vast Islamic cemetery surrounding the mausoleum is still in use. A small opening in the clay and straw tombs allows the soul of the deceased to escape
Next to the cemetery there is a medresse and a small mosque
The wooden pillars are richly decorated |
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Colourful muqarnas adorn the capitals of the pillars. They symbolise the richness and complexity of Islam |
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Stone arabesques adorn the mosque's minaret |
The Uyghurs are originally from Mongolia. They speak a Turkic language, just like the Kyrgyz, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Azerbaijanis, and of course, the Turks
The Uyghurs have never formed a true nation, unlike other Turkic peoples such as the Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, and Turkmens. But the vitality of their culture is no less than that of their sister peoples
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It was only in the early 20th century that the Muslim population of Xinjiang began to be called Uyghurs, although this is a historically developed mixture of peoples who do not differ much from each other in terms of language, religion and culture
This lack of nation-building has led to the formation of no political or intellectual elite. The Uyghurs are the only people in Asia who did not resist Genghis Khan. When the Chinese empire collapsed in 1911, Tibet and Mongolia immediately declared independence, while the Uyghurs remained silent
Uyghur men traditionally wear a striped cotton chapan with a doppa on their heads |
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A water bearer, however young, should not be strong but smart
The water from the mountains mainly collects underground at a depth of a few tens of centimetres |
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Uyghur girls love to show off their beautiful dresses and their embroidered doppas
Currently (1998), Kashgar has a population of approximately 310,000. Nearly one in five are Han Chinese, lured here by attractive employment and housing conditions. The open goal is to reduce the Uyghur population in its own region to a minority
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Red is the traditional colour of Han Chinese wedding dresses. Red represents a cheerful mood, happiness, strength, and vitality |
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Of all the cities in China, Kashgar is the least Chinese, wrote Colin Thubron, the British travel writer. But that won't last much longer
In the streetscape, Chinese script is increasingly gaining a place alongside the Perso-Arabic script in which Uyghur is written |
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Traditional crafts are in abundance in Kashgar |
Industrially produced axes are available elsewhere in the city. However, they are still made in a traditional way
The farrier places the horse in a hoof stall to shoe it
To prevent excessive wear on the hooves, they are trimmed and shoed
Bamboo is heated and folded to make traditional steaming baskets |
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Sharpening knives on the bike and having a chat at the same time |
Poplar wood is by far the most common type of wood in the oases around the Taklamakan
Traditional Uyghur houses are typically built of mud brick, not wood
Wood is mainly used for ceilings, doors and balconies. These are often artistically crafted
In an industrialised world, craft blacksmiths are finding it increasingly difficult
You have to imagine the sound yourself
As early as the 14th century, Uyghur songs have been accompanied by a rawap, a lute with a long neck and a sound box typically covered with dried snakeskin. A distinctive feature is the stylised goat horns mounted just above the sound box
Handmade knives from Yengisar are also highly sought after. Each handle has a unique design, featuring geometric patterns of bone, horn, shell, and other materials
The Chinese have been familiar with silk weaving for over five thousand years. It wasn't until 552 that the Byzantines broke the Chinese monopoly on silk and began producing silk fabrics themselves
The doppa is especially popular among Uzbeks and Uyghurs. The headgear comes in countless varieties, round or square, often richly decorated with embroidery |
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Jaak Palmans
© 2025 | Version 2025-08-27 15:00