Kashgar Old Town
Located opposite the Id Kah Mosque and city centre, the Kashgar Old Town District cover an area of 4.25 square kilometers with a population of 126. 8 thousands. With a a history of over 2,000 years, The old town district is the best place to see how the local Uyghur ethnic group has lived for centuries.
The layout of old district is featured by a dense network of criss-cross streets and lanes, as well as distinctive Uyghur building. The building is made up of earth, wooden block and brick structure. Workshops can be found throughout the area. Artisans make pottery, metalwork, knives, clothing, Muslim hats, and traditional folk crafts. There especially Id Kah Mosque and Gaotai Ancient Homes, as the typical examples give the olk district a sense of Muslim culture maze.
Reviews from trip advisor:
Going but not gone - See what's left of the old quarter while you still can. There is still a decent sized chunk of old houses left, but a lot of them are crumbling apart and it seems few people actually still live there. The people who do live inside the old quarter are very friendly and we had several groups of people come out of their homes and chat with us, allowing us to take pictures (and no, they didn't charge us, unlike people in some other places!).
There were lots of little kids running around making mischief and we had to watch out for a pair of girls throwing water down from the roofs, but it was all in good fun (I think!).
It is uncertain how much, if any, of the old quarter of Kashgar will remain. For now it seems like a few residents have dug their heels in and are not giving up on this bit of land, but how long they can withstand local pressure remains to be seen. If you've thought at all about visiting Kashgar, do it before it is too late to see this part of ancient Silk Road history.
We visited the Gaotai Ancient Homes and found the Old enchanted Kashgar! I was a bit disappointed when I first arrived Kashi (well the new area) to see that it is modernized/standardized just every other major big cities in China. Anyhow, we had fun here and took photos with local kids! I strongly recommend a visit to Gaotai Ancient Homes
Travel Tips:
The warren-like old town is worth visiting for its winding streets, friendly if occasionally guarded residents and delightfully improvised architecture.
A $ 5 toll is levied at the main entrances to the residential district, but this can be evaded by finding a back entrance into the area through the multitudinous back alleys that exit onto the main roads.
