Kashgar is a city with a long history and a colorful past. Known as the shule region during the Han dynasty, one of the four big towns in Anxi during the tang dynasty and as one of the great Moslem cities of western religion during the Ming dynasty. Kashgar stands on a junction of the silk road between the north and south parts of the region it is a famous destination for visitors, from both home and abroad, with her great quantity of cultural artifacts and historic sites.
The well-known tomb of aroma is located in suburban kashgar. This tomb, also known as the Shrine of Hoa Appak, was erected in 1640. the exterior of this structure is covered with green, yellow and blue ceramic tiles, which have many decorative patterns on them. On sunny days the tomb sparkles with color appearing timeless and magnificent. This building is one of the first true symbols of Uighur architecture.
Tall trees, which give this place a cool serene feel, surround the cemetery yard. Appak Hoja, the religious leader of the white mountaineers’ Religious sect, is buried here along with five generations of his family, a total of 72 descendants. It is said that inside aromas’ ceremonial tomb there is only the personal effects left by Iparhan, emperor Qianlongs’ uighur concubine, while aroma and her real tomb are located in the east Qing royal cemetery in Zunhua county, Hebei. Aromas’real name was Mamura Azam whose body, according to ledgend, gave off a rich perfume of Oleaster flowers, the people named her Iparhan(lady of aroma). Aromas’ brother and uncle were granted official posts for their outstanding service to the Qing Empire when they put down a rebellion in Kashgar. Later the family moved to Beijing and in the emperors palace aroma played a very important role in strengthening the ties between the central government and Xinjiang. She is respected in Xinjiang because of these deeds that she did for the benefit of the people. To show their respect the people of Xinjiang named her families’ cemetery after her, the tomb of Iparhan, which has now been turned into a resort.
The largest mosque in Xinjiang is located in front of the downtown square in Kashgar. It is named id kah and is more than 500 years old . it was been extended many times until 1872 when extension work finished. Both sides of the arched entrance gate are 15-meter high cylindrical towers topped by bronze crescent moons. This mosque is the main place for the Kashgar Moslems to carry out their religious activities, every Friday a great number of Moslems come to this spot for Juna(Friday) namaz. When it is the Corban festival the number of worshippers that come to the mosque exceeds 100,000 people. They line up facing holy Mecca as they listen to the mullah reciting the holy Quran.
To the north of kashgar 40 kilometers from the city is the location of the three immortals cave, , which lies on a cliff by the Chakilometersak River. These three caves lie side by side by side and on the inside of the east cave some frescoes still remain. It is said that these caves were built at the earliest time when Buddhism began to spread into china; they have a history of at least 1,800 years.
The best visit time: April----November |
