Kashgar City Tour

After visiting the livestock market, we explored Idgar Mosque, Abakh Hoja Mausoleum and Old Town. It was clear based on our experience that the security in the region has been escalated. There were a number of police checks and ubiquitous metal detectors. Reporting by New York Times provided the impetus for the heighten security.  The region is currently experiencing a lot of social unrest as the Chinese government is trying to convert Muslims to communism.

Entrance to Abakh Hoja Mausoleum

Abakh Hoja Mausoleum

Very Persian...

Idgar Mosque

Our group: 4 Malaysians and 1 America. They all knew each other prior to the trip. I met Girlie Wong (woman in front of me) on a prior trip. She organized this trip and invited me to join. I'm glad I did. 

The following are quotes from our tour brochure:

“Locked away in the westernmost corner of China, closer to Tehran and Damascus than to Běijīng. Kashgar has been the epicentre of regional trade and cultural exchange for more than two millennia. In recent years, modernity has swept through Kashgar, bringing waves of Han migrant workers and huge swathes of the old city have been bulldozed in the name of ‘progress’. Only a tiny section of the 'real' Old Town remains today, and is unlikely to survive for much longer.”

“On the northeastern outskirts of town is the Abakh Hoja Mausoleum, a 3-hectare complex built by the Khoja family who ruled the region in the 17th and 18th centuries. Widely considered the holiest Muslim site in Xīnjiāng, it's a major pilgrimage destination and a beautiful piece of Islamic architecture well worth a visit.”

“The Idgar Mosque is one of the largest mosques in China. It is extremely popular among the Muslims in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The Mosque was first built in 1442 and has a history of over 500 years. The building complex is in grand Islamic style, with strong religious features consisting of a gate tower, a courtyard, a doctrine-teaching hall, and a large Hall of Prayer.”

“Each day, between 2000 and 3000 people come here to worship, with this number increasing to between 6000 and 7000 every Friday. During religious festivals, the number of Muslims piously kneeling around the mosque reaches in excess of 40,000. Over the years, the Idgar Mosque has become a sacred religious place as well as a place for celebrating important festivals.”