Kashgar

Stepping away from politics, let me describe Kashgar as a city. We came here in winter – December /January. Urumqi, the capital of Xingiang was snow covered, but Kashgar itself was free of snow. The air was very dry, it is deeply inland, and weather was cold, though pleasant in the afternoon with the sun shining brightly. There are quaint squares where you can see wizened old men with long beards sitting quietly and meditating or talking to one another.

There is a famous Sunday bazaar which is worth visiting, just for its scale. I didn’t see anything worth buying, though there were some nice carpets (But mostly mad ei Pakistan). One interesting thing here is that a number of products have images of Bollywood stars (surely pirated) such as Asishwariya, Hritik etc. on shampoo packets. I also heard Bollywood music playing in discos, and many people (locals) can speak Hindi / Urdu. One reason might be the strong connection of this region with parts of Pakistan. There were cultural exchanges earlier too, but now with the Karakoram Highway opened, many Pakistanis come here to trade, and being of a similar religion and culture, many have married local women and settled down. Many are from Kashmir region and Gilgit-Baltistan. In fact I was amused to see cafes bearing the name – Azad Kashmir Dhaba and the like. Suppressing my jingoism, I did step into one of these for a cup of milk tea, and had a surprisingly friendly conversation with the owners – a Pakistani gentleman who had been here for 20 years and his Uighur wife. Our conversations stayed on safe topics – movies, cricket, business etc., no politics or India-Pakistan issues.

Among the other things to see here are the Id Kah mosque, Apak Hoja tomb, and check out the old city where they have well preserved Uighur houses with multiple levels. Some of them are still occupied, and for a small payment, you might be allowed to come in and look around. It gives a special feel to check out the way people lived and are still living, and with the carpets and thick curtains, it appears especially cozy in the winter months. Do keep in mind that these areas are heavily Muslim, hence pork products, so popular in the rest of China are supplanted here by mutton / chicken. One can get great shawarmas, and tandoor items here, and it’s a pleasure checking out the local eating houses.