Kashgar, known as "the Pearl of the Silk
Road", is a state-level historical and cultural city. Bordering the Taklamakan
Desert to the east, Karakoram Mountain to the south, the Pamir to the west,
Kashgar neighbors with Tadzhikistan, Kirghizstan, Pakistan, Afghanistan and
India.
The four seasons in Kashigar are clearly
demarcated. It is neither hot in summer nor cold in winter.
Kashigar is one of the oldest oases in the
west of the Tarim Basin with a cultivated land area of 6 million mu (1 mu = 1/15
hectare), and undeveloped land area of 18 million mu, 12 million of which is
easy to cultivate. Kashigar is called lush south scenery beyond the Great Wall
with good harvests of wheat, maize, cotton and rice. Being one of the biggest
regional producers of cotton and wheat for commodity, Kashigar is also well
known as the village of fruits with large produce of almond, pear, apple, grape,
fig, and nut, etc.
Endowed by nature with
desert, glacier and mountains, Kashigar attracts lots of tourists home and
abroad. The most famous historic sites are the Id Kah Mosque and Id Kah Square,
the geographic and religious center of Kashgar, the Tomb of Abakh Hoja (also
known as the Tomb of Xiangfei), a magnificent mosque-like complex as well as the
Tomb of Mahmud Kashguri, all of which fully demonstrate the unique
characteristics of the Uygur culture. Culture, customs and scenic spots in
Kashigar are typical throughout the whole region of Xinjiang, therefore the
saying goes that only after coming to Kashigar can one claim that he has been to
Xinjiang.