Kashgar: Pearl of Silk Road where Old is celebrated, Modern is embraced

Xinjiang - 17 July 2025: About 1,400 kilometers from the capital of China's Xinjiang Province, Urumqi, lies a unique city. Once it opens its gates, you step into a warm vibrant place similar to those described in ancient books, for Kashgar is a testament of how authentic old can coexist with inevitable modern. 

‏Located in the far west of china, Kashgar, known also as kashi, has always been famous for being a trade and culture center on the old Silk Road, with its history stretching over 2,000 years. 

Known once as the Pearl of the Silk Road, Kashgar, which is one of the most famous cities in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, still enjoys an important status due to its strategic location as a crucial portal connecting China to Asia, Europe and the Middle East. 

Cultural Melting Pot  

What really sets this unique city apart from other cities in Xinjiang is that it is a cultural melting pot, especially that it shares borders with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and is relatively close to Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is at the intersection of various Eastern cultures, as is reflected in its unique architecture, bazars, cuisine, and customs.

Invited by the Chinese Embassy in Cairo, Egypt Today had a firsthand experience on how Kashgar blends the past and the present as a key city on the Silk Road and how it stands on the threshold of a bright future.

Authentic and Modern 

Perhaps the most striking feature of Kashgar is its contrast with the usual appearance of modern cities. Despite being an important commercial and cultural city, it still retains its uniqueness and authenticity as a city located on the Silk Road. This is evident in its lively “souqs,” or markets, which are open until the early hours of the morning, especially after sunset at 10 p.m. Its bustling streets are filled with shops selling handmade crafts and food stalls showcasing delicious food scented with the aromas of distinctive dishes and spices.

Within the market alleys famous for their handicrafts, textile shops, and other goods, you will see the city's residents wearing their own colorful costumes that reflect the city's unique nature.

Kashi Old city 

One of Kashgar's most prominent tourist attractions is the Old City of Kashi. Upon entering the main gates of the Old City, you are greeted by dance performances that reflect the unique culture of the Muslim Uyghur minority and narrate the city's history throughout the ages. Dancers perform various performances in colorful traditional costumes, reflecting the city's rich history.

Dancers perform the gate-opening ceremony three times a day, six days a week, except Mondays. In the winter, the ceremony takes place once a day.

The Old City of Kashgar stretches approximately two kilometers in length and width and has undergone significant changes in recent years. Extensive reconstruction work began in 2009 with the aim of modernizing the area as a tourist destination, improving the living conditions of local residents, and addressing safety concerns in the event of an earthquake.

Following the Wenchuan earthquake on May 12, 2008, the autonomous region placed the Old City Rehabilitation Project at the top of its agenda. The project involved renovating the homes of nearly 2,000 households, totaling 40,000 people, with an investment exceeding 7 billion yuan.

Traditional dance 

The Uyghur people have an innate talent for music and dance, which is evident in the city's traditional musical instrument shops. Indeed, during a visit to the city's narrow alleyways, local dancers at one of the city's tourist houses performed traditional dances to the distinctive tunes of Uyghur music.

ID KAH Mosque

Another prominent tourist attraction of the city is the Id Kah Mosque, an architectural masterpiece that boasts the largest mosque in China.

With an area of 16,800 square meters and a capacity of up to hundreds of worshippers, the mosque features unique architecture consisting of approximately 140 columns. Inside the mosque, a wall rug is decorated with 56 floral motifs representing China's ethnic groups.

‏Kashgar represents a celebration of the unique Uyghur ethnicity and a crossroad of not only trade and culture, but rather human connection through the past , present and future.