Moments...in Kashgar

Moments...in Kashgar

The ancient Silk Road towns of Kashgar (Kashi) and Yarkand have long been a melting pot of cultures from all over Central Asia with significant moslem populations of Uighurs, Kirghiz and Kazaks. Since the early 1950s China’s wild west has been under the control of the Han Chinese, so what was known as Turkestan is now Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region (capital city Urumqi).
Bound for a mountaineering expedition into the Shaksgam and K2 valleys and the first ascent of 7300m Chongtar in the Karakoram Mountains, Colin Monteath was privileged to photograph the famous Sunday market in Kashgar. The legendary marketplace has different sections for the sale of fruit & vegetables, horses, camels and sheep, furniture and importantly, knives.
Sadly, there are also shops that sell snow leopard and other mountain cat pelts from animals that have been hunted during the winter when the pelts are thickest. These skins are often bought by Pakistani truck drivers who come to Kashgar via the Karakoram Highway. Commonly, the skins are on-sold to wealthy Iranians.

During 2009 there was an outbreak of violence sparked by unrest when the Uighur population in Urumqi and Kashgar protested against their treatment and on-going subjugation by the Han Chinese.

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Thursday, 29 July 2010

HHH#174938 Mules for sale in Kashgar’s Sunday market Photo: Colin Monteath

HHH# 174937 Old man leaving Yarkand mosque, Silk Road town, Taklamakan desert.

Photo: Colin Monteath

HHH# 174921 Idka mosque, Kashgar, with Pamir Mountains behind Photo: Colin Monteath

HHH#174928 Boy rests on donkey cart outside Kashgar market

HHH#242779 Young girl crosses river to reach Kashgar market

HHH# 174945 Snow leopard skins for sale in Kashgar

HHH#242785 Women sell hats , Kashgar market

HHH#174948 Kashgar and Central Asia are famous for water melons

HHH#174920 Craftsman starts shaping copper pot again as friend stands to leave

HHH#174925 Craftsman brazes pot, Kashgar market

HHH#242781 Old man dusts apricots, Kashgar market.

HHH#174936 Man works machine for bagging cotton

HHH#242791 Bread seller chats with customer

HHH#174927 Stall sells dumplings steamed in bamboo baskets

HHH#174930 Old man rests outside Yarkand mosque

HHH#192436 The Great Helmsman, Chairman Mao, makes sure the Uighur and Kazak moslem population knows who is in control, 20m high statue, Kashgar

HHH#242782 basket seller eating melon, Kasghar river

HHH#242783 Man selling brooms made from branches