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Kashgar Sunday Market.

Kashgar is the westernmost city in China, and it has been, and still is today, an important trading centre since the days of the Silk Road.

Reaching Kashgar is a real hassle. You can cross over the Khunherab Pass at 4,693 metres (15,397 feet) from Pakistan, on probably the highest-altitude bus route in the world while making world’s best road trip.

Click here to read about visiting Tashkurgan, the first city on the Karakoram Highway and the Chinese side.
You can also take a three-day, almost non-stop bus ride through the desert from the nearest Chinese town of Urumqi

It’s actually MORE than 4300km (2 672miles )to Beijing, or a 7-hour flight, just 1 hour less than flying from London to New York!

Kashgar market,kashi,sunday market.
The 24 meters high Mao Statue in Kashgar.

Maybe the most famous thing in Kashgar is the Sunday Market, which is open every day, despite its name.

It’s also supposed to be the biggest market in all of Central Asia, with a history stretching back over 2000 years from the Silk Road area.
If you are planning to travel the Silk Road, check out this guide: How to travel from England to China along the Silk Road.

It’s said that the population of Kashgar increases with about 100.000 on Sundays.

The market offers everything between heaven and earth, from dried snakes and reptiles, musical instruments, fur caps, kitschy souvenirs, carpets and kinds of plastic fantastic Chinese miscellaneous, I even got offered real snow leopard skin…

kasghar,kashi,sunday market.
Some dried Snake or Lizards.
kasghar,kashi,sunday market.
One out of the hundred stalls selling hats.
Kashgar market,kashi,sunday market.
Dry Fruits

The market covers a vast area, with almost nothing packaged up or freighted in or prettified in any way. The food, most of it unidentifiable, is sold in mounds and heaps, or, if you’re lucky, in a sack.

But maybe the most exciting part of the market is the livestock market that’s located about 10km outside of town.

Here you can buy, camels, sheep, cows, donkeys etc., but no pork since this is the Islamic part of China.

While I saw no other foreign tourists in the town’s market, I have seen more than 20 foreign tourists out there.

Kashgar market,kashi,sunday market.
One Sheep, Two Sheep, Three Sheep. ZZZZZZZZZ
Kashgar market,kashi,sunday market.
Sleeping Sheep, ZZZZZZ
Kashgar market,kashi,sunday market.
That’s one fat ass going to the market.
Kashgar market,kashi,sunday market.
One pretty camel
Kashgar market,kashi,sunday market.
Camel Section
Kashgar market,kashi,sunday market.
Never full enough, I’m sure they can squeeze another in there
Kashgar market,kashi,sunday market.
Important to try the horse before buying it.
Kashgar market,kashi,sunday market.
Is someone Overcompensating?
Kashgar market,kashi,sunday market,Kashgar
Horse and cart are still a common type of transportation in the area.

Additional information about Kashgar Sunday Market.

There’s a heavy military presence in the whole Xinjiang province these days, so don’t get surprised by all the heavily armoured military around the city.

The Karakoram Highway from Pakistan ends in Kashgar, there are buses and jeep direct to Kyrgyzstan, there are also trains to other parts of China, and there’s even a “highway” to Lhasa, Tibet from Kashgar.

There are four trains a day from Kashgar to Urumqi and vice versa; the fastest train takes only about 16 hours these days and the slowest for about 24 hours.

There’s NO entrance fee to the market; it can be reached by bus 17 and 20. And it will cost you about 20 – 30 RMB by a taxi to reach the livestock market.

Is the market worth a visit? 5/10
If you are lucky enough to be in Kashgar on a Sunday is it definitely worth a visit, but it’s not worth waiting around in Kashgar for 3-4 days just to be able to visit the Sunday market.

kashgar sunday market
Travel guide to the Sunday Market in Kashgar in far western China, a legendary market that has been since the silk road area.

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Traveling to Kashgar in Xinjiang China - ORPHANED NATION

Monday 28th of October 2019

[…] Uyghur culture. There is no better place to truly immerse yourself in Uyghur traditions than at the Sunday Livestock Market. This weekly bazaar brings 10,000 people to Kashgar from all over the countryside to barter and […]

Roy

Wednesday 24th of October 2018

Nice article! So how did you fly to/from Norway? Seems both expensive and a long travel to fly from Kashgar. Would the best thing be to head to Osh i Kyrgyzstan and fly from there?

Christian L.

Wednesday 24th of October 2018

Heeey. I've been to Kasghar a few times now, I crossed from Pakistan and the Karakoram Highway, from Osh and Kyrgyzstan. And from urumqi. The cheapest way to get to Kasghar is from Urumqi or Osh :)

Karakoram Highway, The world's best roadtrip | Unusual Traveler

Monday 16th of April 2018

[…] just called KKH, is a highway that runs about 1.300km (800 miles) from Abbottabad in Pakistan to Kashgar in the province of Xinjiang in west […]

The Jiayuguan Fortress:The Beginning or The End of the Great Wall | Unusual Traveler

Monday 9th of April 2018

[…] fortress was built around the year 1372 and situated in between the legendary town of Kashgar to the west and Dunhuang to the east. It was a famous waypoint along the Silk Road and an obvious […]

John

Saturday 16th of December 2017

Bought a few horses there, when I was young. Sold them back the next Sunday. Kashgar must be seen from horseback.

Christian L.

Saturday 16th of December 2017

Bought a few horses? For what? just for fun or did a horse trip around the area?