Oriental bazaar, Kashgar

Oriental bazaar in Kashgar - the largest international market in Central Asia

Kashgar is a city where the flavor of the Muslim East is reigning. Kashgar has many different names: “Balaustine City”, “Heart of Xinjiang”, and, of course, “City of Bazaars”. It is the place of concentration of most famous and largest markets of Eastern Turkestan, with Oriental Bazaar standing out among them.

It is located on the east bank of the Tuman River. The Oriental Bazaar is one of the largest international markets in Central Asia, because people come there not only from Central and Eastern China, but also from Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Nepal and other neighboring countries and regions.

Of especially fascinating sight is Sunday bazaar, which attracts farmers and artisans from all the villages and remote nomad camps. Among the various items you can find truly unique pieces of original culture of the Uyghur and other local nationalities.

When you get to Sunday market, at first you may feel as though you found yourself in a medieval city. There you can find bullock cart drivers and riders, stalls abound with all kinds of oriental and Uyghur traditional sweets, and what is more all the newcomers and local merchants are dressed in costumes traditional to their nationality.

At the market there are carpet stalls, where you can buy the items made by Uyghur mistresses, and silk stalls with national dresses dazzling with their bright colors. Before buying, make sure to bargain with sellers on price otherwise they might feel insulted, because it's almost a rule of etiquette at the oriental bazaar.

Another shopping street that competes for attention is that of arts and crafts. There are all kinds of products of wood and metal, painted by skilled Uyghur craftsmen. Weapons, utensils, musical instruments, jade figurines of wide variety of sizes and shapes - all these can be found at the bazaar in Kashgar.