About Kashi
What to see and do in Kashi
Weather in Kashi
Airport in Kashi
Visa
Kashgar or Kashi (officially transliterated as Kaxgar in Uyghur; is an oasis city in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China.
Kashgar city has an area of 15 km2. The altitude averages 1,289.5 m/4,282 ft. above sea level. The annual meantemperature is 11.7 C, with a low of -24.4 C in January and up to 40.1 F in July. The frost-free period averages 215 days. The city is the administrative centre for Kashi or Kashgar Prefecture which has an area of 162,000 km2.
Kashgar or Kashi is in the extreme west of China and the Southwest extreme of Xinjiang. It is also at a junction between two branches of the old Silk Road.
Kashi has been an important trading center since the days of the Silk Road, and still is today. The road from Eastern and Central China branches out to both the north and south of the Taklamakan Desert, and Kashgar is where the two branches meet again in the western part of the desert.
The local population is a mixture of Uyghurs, Han Chinese, Kyrgyz, Tajiks and Uzbeks, boasting a colorful ethnic variety.
The city is said to have the largest bazaar in Asia.
What to see in Kashi / Kashgar
Sunday Bazaar
Bazaar Delicacies: roasted sheep, Xinjiang Kebabs, Zhua Fan (Rice Eaten with Hands), nang (a kind of Uygurs' food), Youtazi (Steamed multilayer bread).
Local specialties: carpets, clay pottery, jewelry, folk musical instruments, guavas, almonds, figs, grapes and melons.
Etiquette: If you don't want to buy the thing you have had a look at because of the price or other reasons, please put your right hand on your heart to say 'I think I'll leave it. Thank you just the same.' Best time to visit: August and September
Admission Fee: Free
Opening Hours: Whole Day (Sunday is the best time for a visit)
Bus Route: No.17 and 20
The Mal Bazaar is the livestock market, where locals from all the surrounding villages come to town on that day (Sunday)to buy and sell animals. It is held on an open and fenced ground. It's popular with tourists, but the market is so big it still feels like a working bazaar. Take bus 16 from the People's Square to get there (RMB 1).
The Yengi Bazaar is the handicrafts, cloths, carpets and anything-else-you-can-expect market. This market is open daily and is less crowded on weekdays. Bargain hard.
Id Kah Mosque - first built in 1442, it is distinctive for its yellow walls and Central Asian architecture. Women are generally not allowed inside, but modestly dressed foreigners should have no problem. You should remove your shoes before entering the carpeted area. Open 8:50-10pm daily (though closed during services).
'Id Kah' means 'a place of praying and celebrating in festivals'. The Id Kah Mosque is located on the central square in Kashgar City, Xinjiang Uigur Autonomous Region. As the biggest mosque in China, it is a group of old Islamic constructions with strong ethnic style and religious features.
It is said that this place was once a cemetery. The present Id Kah Mosque was built in 1442 as a very small structure. Several renovations and enlargements have created it with today's scale and style.
The whole complex occupies 16,800 square meters (about 4 acres) and consists of the courtyard, the Hall of Prayer, and the gate tower and as well as some other attached structures.
Admission Fee: RMB 15
Opening Hours 08:50 to 10:00
Recommended Time for a Visit: One hour
Bus Route: 77, 13
Tomb of Apak Hoja - A massive, elegant building created in 1640 in typical Islamic style. Also a pilgrimage site. It is 2 miles from the city center, and there are bus and taxi connections to the People's Square. The mausoleum and the mosque are both open 8:00am-5:30pm daily, (prayer day is friday), Entrance fee: RMB 30.
Tomb of Yusup Khass Hajip - The tomb of Kashgar's much loved philosopher and poet who wrote the 13,290-line poem "The Wisdom of Happiness and Pleasure" in the Uighur language. Entrance fee: RMB 30.
Tomb of Mahmud Kashgari - About an hour's drive from Kashgar, this attraction in Upal is the tomb of an Uyghur scribe, famous for compiling a dictionary of the Turkic languages in the 11th century. This picturesque complex is situated on a hillside and includes a mosque and a sacred spring. Entrance fee: RMB 30. Upal also boasts a lively bazaar too.
An 18 metre (59 ft) high statue of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong. It is one of the few large-scale statues of Mao Zedong remaining in China.
The tomb of Abakh Khoja, considered the holiest Muslim site in Xinjiang. Built in the 17th century, the tiled mausoleum 5 km (3.1 mi) northeast of the city centre also contains the tombs of five generations of his family. Abakh was a powerful ruler, controlling Khotan, Yarkand, Korla, Kucha and Aksu as well as Kashgar. Among some Uyghur Muslims, he was considered a prophet, second only to Mohammed in importance.
Five kilometers (3.1 miles) northeast of Kashgar, an ancient Islamic building nestles among poplar trees. With glazed tiles shining in the sun, its tower points to the azure sky. A masterpiece of Uigur architecture, this is Abakh Khoja Tomb, 17th Century family cemetery of the Kashgar area Islamic leader.
In China the tomb is better known as the Tomb of Xiang Fei, the only Uigur concubine among the 41 wives of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Legend has it that Iparhan, a descendant of Abakh Khoja, exuded an enchanting fragrance without using any perfume, hence the name Xiang Fei (Fragrant concubine in Chinese).She spent 28 years beside the emperor in Beijing, abiding strictly by Islamic doctrines. She wore ethnic costumes and was waited on by a special chef.The gate tower Before her death at 55 she expressed her desire to be buried in her hometown of Turpan. The emperor so loved her that he had her coffin of clothes sent back to where it is now. This cost 124 people three years and a half. The ancient cart carrying the coffin of Xiangfei still stands in front of the mausoleum, adding a touch of mystery to the building. According to archeological findings, the authentic tomb of Xiang Fei is in the East Qing Tomb near Beijing.
Abakh Khoja Tomb is admired as a well-preserved Islamic architectural complex not only in Xinjiang, but throughout Central Asia. Xiang Fei's love story intrigues tourists from home and abroad.
Admission Fee: RMB 30
Opening Hours 08:50 to 20:00
Recommended Time for a Visit: One hour
Karakuri Lake
Karakuri Lake, situated at the foot of Mount Muztagata,
lies 191 kilometers (about 120 miles) from Kashgar.
It is 3,600 meters (about 11,811 feet) above sea level,
30 meters (about 98 feet) deep and with a surface of ten
square kilometers (about four square miles).
The lake is surrounded by a series of mountains, such as Mount Muztagata and Kongur Shan. At the lakefront, there is grassland with roaming flocks and herds. At dawn, Karakuri Lake looks as pure as a jade mirror. When the sun rises, the lake changes colors in the course of a few minutes from mauve to golden and then to light pink. The snow-covered mountain, green grass and livestock form reflections in the mirror-like water, creating a fair and charming picture of Karakuri Lake.
If you want to spend another day here, you can stay in the Mongolia ger (RMB 40 per person) or in the brick house (RMB 50 per person).
Admission Fee: RMB 50 (Excluding RMB 10 for Border Permit)
Opening Hours 08:00-17:00
Best Visit Time: August, September
Kashgar Stone City
Meaning Stone City in Turki, Tashkurgan was so named after an ancient city, more than 2,000 years old. The Stone City is located in the north of Tashkurgan County, Xinjiang Province.
The Stone City was famous for its location at the junctiThe city is built on a mound of 20 meters high.on of the middle route and southern route of the ancient Silk Road. This is also the place where roads from Kashgar, Shache, Yingjisha and Yecheng to the Pamirs meet. Because of its strategic importance, the Stone City was made the capital of Puli Country in Western Regions during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220). After the Western Regions were unified and ruled by the Tang Government, administrative offices were established here. Later in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) the Government repaired its old buildings and enlarged its area. It was in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) that the Government built a new city to the south and the Stone City was abandoned.
Three immortals Buddha Caves
Three Immortals Buddhist Caves of Han Dynasty (206BC--220) lie in north of Kashgar. The Caves are on a cliff on the side the mountain near to a river. It is about 13 meters (about 17 yards) down the bottom of the cliff and about 8 meters (about 10 yards) from the cliff top. The cliff face is vertical and so smooth that no plants grow on it. It is impossible for people to reach without the aid of climbing equipment.
According to the textual research, the Caves were cut in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220). They are one of the earliest Buddhist caves in western China, and are possibly 300 or 400 years older than the Mogao Caves . So the value of study the art of Buddhist caves and the history of eastern introduction of Buddhism occupies a pivotal position.
There are 3 caves, West Cave, Middle Cave and East Cave. They are 2 meters high and 1 meter wide with rectangular entrances side by side. Each cave consists of a big front chamber and a small rear chamber, the rear chamber being half the size of the front one. Only East Cave retains a sunken panel and most of the murals survive. This is on the ceiling of the front chamber and the wall of rear chamber. A painted Buddha on the ceiling of this cave, whose cassock was painted in interphase blue, green and red colors which is very rare in the earlier Buddhist murals. There is no original mural in West Cave. From the chiseling marks it appears the murals have been stolen. No initial murals were kept in the Middle Cave due to a reconstruction in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). During the reconstruction, murals were repainted on the wall. Although the present paintings are complete, the artistic style is totally different from the original ones in the other caves.
The annual mean temperature is 11.7 C, with a low of -24.4 C in January and up to 40.1 F in July. The frost-free period averages 215 days. The city is the administrative centre for Kashi or Kashgar Prefecture which has an area of 162,000 km2.
January 0 C to -11 C
February 5 C to -7 C
March 14 C to 2 C
April 22 C to 9 C
May 27 C to 13 C
June 30 C to 16 C
July 32 C to 19 C
August 31 C to 17 C
September 26 C to 12 C
October 20 C to 5 C
November 10 C to -2 C
December 2 C to -8 C
Kashgar Airport (also known as Kashi Airport) is an airport in Kashgar, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China (IATA: KHG, ICAO: ZWSH).
The only scheduled international service operated from Kashi was to Islamabad in Pakistan launched in July 2004 by China Southern Airlines, this was suspended in summer 2008.
Kashgar, located in the western part of China, has been the transportation hub in southern Xinjiang for thousands of years. It was in fact the strategic point of the Silk Road in the ancient time, connecting China with Eurasia. However, it still maintains its importance nowadays with comparatively good transport system. It is easily accessible by air, train and bus from Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang. There are even daily flights to Urumqi and also international airline services to Islamabad, Osh and Andijan from this airport.
On the other hand, there are several regular daily train and bus services plying between Urumqi and Kashgar. Its developed highway, centred at Kashgar City, extends to 8 directions: northeast to Aksu, Korla, Turpan; southeast to Shule, Hetian, Yengisar, Ye Cheng; east to Dunhuang in Gansu Province and Golmud of Qinghai Province. There is also Zhong-Ba International Highway (China to Pakistan) leading to Pakistan as well.
Kashgar Airport is located about 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) north of city of Kashgar.
Built in 1953, Kashgar Airport is the second largest airport in Xinjiang Province. With more than 60,000 square meters (about 14.8 acres) available for ground handling of aircrafts along with an area of 28,000 meters (about 6.9 acres) devoted to runway traffic, Kashgar Airport is quite capable of accommodating incoming and outgoing flights to destinations including but not limited to Urumqi, Hotan, Kuqa and Aksu. Kashgar Airport also has international flights available to cities such as that of Kirghizia and Uzbekistan. In Kashgar Airport large and spacious main terminal building restaurants, stores, and several airline ticket offices are available for the comfort and convenience of travelers.
Service For additional information on airlines providing service in and out of Kashgar Airport please call 0998-2823204.
Airport Transportation There are regular bus services between Kashgar Airport and the city center. With a fare of just RMB 10 per pax, the bus is able to drop passengers at any hotel in the city. The bus driver is also able to recommend its passengers hotel according to their needs. Bus No.2 plies the route from the airport to downtown district of Kashgar. If taxi is preferred, going to the city center costs only RMB 10.
Airlines and other destinations of Kashi / Kashgar
China Southern Airlines (Urumqi)
Hainan Airlines (Urumqi)
Xiamen Airlines (Urumqi)
To be able to travel to Kashi / Kashgar you need to have a valid China Visa, issue from your local government at the China Embassy, Chinese visa fall into four types: diplomatic visa, courtesy visa, service visa and ordinary visa. Ordinary visa is further divided into the following 8 categories each marked with a letter: (1) Tourist and family visit visa (L-visa) is issued to a foreign citizen who comes to China for tourist purpose, family visit or other personal affairs.
(2) Business Visa (F-visa ) is issued to a foreign citizen who is invited to China for visit, research, lecture, business, exchanges in the fields of science, technology, education, culture and sports, or attending various kinds of trade fairs or exhibitions, or short-term study, intern practice for a period of no more than 6 months.
(3) Student Visa (X-visa) is issued to a foreign citizen who comes to China for the purpose of study or advanced study for a period of six or more months.
(4) Work Visa (Z-visa) is issued to a foreign citizen who comes to China to work and his or her accompanying family members, or to give commercial performances in China.
(5) Transit Visa (G-visa) is issued to a foreign citizen who is to transit through China on his or her way to a third country (or region).
(6) Crew Visa(C-visa)is issued to crew member performing his/her duties on board an international train, or on an international airliner, to a sailor on board an international ocean-liner or freighter, and also to their accompanying family members..
(7) Journalist Visa (J-visa)is issued to foreign journalists. J-visa has two categories: J-1 visa and J-2 visa. J-1 visa is issued to resident foreign journalists in China and their accompanying spouses and under-age children, J-2 visa to foreign journalists who visit China for temporary news coverage.
(8) Permanent Residence Visa(D-visa)is issued to a foreign citizen who has been approved by China's public security authority to reside in China permanently.
for Language guide please refer to: http://www.china-city-guide.com/beijing/pages/localguide.php for free download of basic survival Chinese conversation in China.