On October 19, 2020, after breakfast at Holiday Inn Aksu Pudong, we set off for Kashgar. Traveling in Xinjiang has two major characteristics. One is that there are too many checkpoints, which make you feel helpless; It is 1,500 kilometers from Urumqi to Kashgar. We walked and traveled all the way and arrived in four days. Photos were taken en route.
Originally, a Red Sea scenic spot in Bachu County was arranged on the way, but the tour guide said that due to the impact of the epidemic, the Red Sea scenic spot was closed. So we went straight to Kashgar. The photo was taken at the Niwak International Hotel in Kashgar.
Qi Niwak International Hotel is the first five-star standard hotel in Kashgar, formerly the British Consulate in Kashgar established in 1908, and later changed to the Indian (India) Pakistani (Kiristan) Consulate. "Qi Niwak" means "Chinese Garden". The picture shows the tour guide checking us in.
Qi Niwak International Hotel has 27 floors and is a landmark building in the city with a total construction area of 67,200 square meters. The hotel has 670 rooms of various types (including Royal VIP Building, Garden Boutique Building, Friendship Boutique Building, Jingyuan and other annexes). The picture shows the Royal VIP Building of Qi Niwak International Hotel where we stayed.
The rooms in the Niwak International Hotel are large, but a bit dated.
The bathroom of Qi Niwak International Hotel is not small, and the facilities have been renovated.
After putting down our luggage, the tour guide took us to this Uighur restaurant near the hotel for lunch.
The lamb kebabs in the restaurant are freshly worn
The lamb kebabs in the restaurant are freshly grilled
The mutton buns in the restaurant are freshly steamed
We had delicious mutton buns and kebabs here
After lunch, the tour guide took us to visit the Id Kah Mosque. The Id Kah Mosque is not only the largest mosque in Xinjiang, but also one of the largest mosques in the country. This is an ancient Islamic building complex with strong national style and religious color, facing east from west. The picture shows my photo taken in front of the Id Kah Mosque.
Id Kah Mosque is located on the west side of Id Kah Square. It was built in 1442. It is 140 meters long from north to south and 120 meters wide from east to west. It covers a total area of 16,800 square meters and is divided into "main hall", "outer hall" and " There are seven parts, including the scripture hall, the courtyard, the arch worship, the minaret and the gate. It is an ancient building complex with strong ethnic style and religious color, a model of Uyghur ancient architectural art, and a landmark of the ancient city of Kashgar.
The gate of the Id Kah Mosque is made of yellow bricks with gypsum joints. The gate is 4.7 meters high and 4.3 meters wide, and the gate tower is about 17 meters high. An 18-meter-high minarets are erected asymmetrically on both sides of the gatehouse, with a crescent moon standing on the top of the towers. Every day at dawn, the monk in the temple would go up to the tower five times and call out loudly for Muslims to come and pray.
The poplar trees in the temple are towering and the sun is covered by thick shade. You can not only feel a sense of comfort here, but also understand the strong Islamic culture.
It is said that this place was originally a cemetery. In 1442, the descendants of Shaksez Mizar, the ruler of Kashgar, built a small temple here to worship the dead of relatives and friends. In 1538, his descendant, Ubuli Albuquerque, expanded the temple and became a large temple for gatherings. After that, it was built and expanded several times to form the current scale and grandeur.
There are a total of 36 teaching halls in a row beside the north and south walls, which are used by Bishop Ah Gen to give lectures.
There is a niche on the central wall of the main hall with a built-in sedan-style throne. During worship, the big mullah stands in the niche and recites scriptures; if it is a festival, the big mullah preaches here.
The chapel is on a high platform in the west of the temple, divided into inner hall and outer hall. Tourists and Muslims must take off their shoes when entering the eaves of the corridor, regardless of noble or poor, and enter in order.
The top of the temple is supported by 158 light blue columns in a grid shape. On the ceiling and the four corners of the wooden pillars, there are exquisite wood carvings and painted caisson patterns.
In ancient times, the Id Kah Mosque was also an important institution for spreading Islamic culture and cultivating talents. It trained many Islamic clerics and scholars, and others included some influential poets, writers, historians and translators. have a certain influence. The photo was taken at the Id Kah Mosque.
The prominent status of the Id Kah Mosque is not its size, but that it is a place where Muslims in Xinjiang "gather". The number of people who come to worship here every day has reached 2-3 thousand. On the afternoon of Friday "Juma Day", male Muslims from far and near will come here for the most solemn worship in a week. At this time, the number of people is about 6-7 thousand. When it comes to the annual "Gurban" festival, there are Muslims from all over Xinjiang, including locals, the number of worshipers can reach 20,000 to 30,000. The photo was taken at the Id Kah Mosque.
The Id Kah Mosque is now a national key cultural relic protection unit.
The red leaves in the Id Kah Mosque aroused the interest of photographers.
I also took a picture of red leaves here
In front of the Id Kah Mosque is the Id Kah Plaza, which is the center of Kashgar and has many recreational facilities. The child is playing on a carousel.
There are also horses for tourists to ride and take pictures
There are also camels for tourists to ride and take pictures
There are also horse-drawn floats for tourists to ride and take pictures
There are also camel floats for tourists to ride and take pictures
On Id Kah Square, there are often a lot of casual old people gathered.
On Id Kah Square, there are often a lot of casual old people gathered.
This is a close-up of an old man
This is an old man who is reading
On the Id Kah Square, there are also sculptures full of southern Xinjiang characteristics.
Under the guidance of the tour guide, we went to the well-known Uighur restaurant --- Kessel Food Palace, and had a dinner with distinctive Uighur characteristics.
