Sunday Market, Kashgar

Kashgar’s Sunday Market: Context First

Kashgar in Xinjiang, western China, is at the eastern end of the ancient Silk Road, a former oasis city 4,000km from Beijing where Central Asian, South Asian, and East Asian trade routes historically converged. The Sunday Market (also called the Central Asian International Grand Bazaar or Yekshenba Bazari) has been held here for at least 2,000 years and is one of the largest markets in Central Asia.

That historical context sits alongside a contemporary political reality that is important to understand before visiting. Xinjiang has been subject to intense surveillance, security restrictions, and mass internment policies targeting the Uyghur population since 2017. International human rights organisations have documented these policies extensively. Visiting Kashgar contributes to local economic activity - which the Uyghur community depends on - but also operates within a surveillance infrastructure that is unlike any other major tourist destination. Your presence as a foreign visitor will be noted, your movements may be tracked, and interacting privately with Uyghur residents is difficult. Decide for yourself whether this affects your decision to go.

The market itself

The Sunday Market runs all day Sunday and attracts both local buyers and tourists. The livestock section, historically its most distinctive feature, is now located separately from the main bazaar at the Livestock Market on the eastern edge of the city. Live bargaining for sheep, goats, donkeys, and cattle happens there from early morning and is more authentic than the main tourist bazaar.

The main bazaar on Aiziret Road sells carpets, dried fruit, nuts, spices, clothing, and crafts. Most vendors accommodate photography. The quality of craftsmanship in the carpets and copperwork is variable - some items are genuinely handmade, others are Chinese factory goods with Uyghur-style patterns. Prices start high for tourists; negotiating is standard.

Food at the market

The best eating is from vendors on the street outside the market. Laghman (hand-pulled noodles with lamb and vegetables, around CNY 20-30 a bowl) is the definitive Uyghur dish and takes about 3 minutes to prepare from dough to plate. Samsa (baked meat pastry from a clay oven) costs CNY 3-5 each. Polo (rice pilaf with lamb, carrots, and oil) is sold by the plate in the morning.

The old city

Kashgar’s Old City (Laocheng) has been substantially demolished and rebuilt since 2009. Much of the original mudbrick architecture was torn down and replaced with a cleaned-up reconstruction that resembles a film set more than a living historic quarter. The Id Kah Mosque (central Kashgar, one of the largest mosques in China) is largely intact and remains the religious and social centre of Uyghur life in the city.

Practical notes

Fly into Kashgar Tuuman Airport from Urumqi (90 minutes) or Chengdu (3 hours). All visitors to Xinjiang must register with local police within 24 hours of arrival; hotels handle this automatically. Passport inspection checkpoints are common on roads; keep your documents accessible.

The best accommodation is the Qiniwak Hotel (Chini Bagh), the former British consulate built in 1890, which has rooms from CNY 300-500. The history of the building (the Great Game, British and Chinese political competition for Central Asia in the late 19th century) is worth reading beforehand.

The market runs year-round but is most atmospheric in September-October after the Silk Road harvest season.