A Makeshift Mosque At Kashgar Market

A group of Uighurs praying at the Kashgar Market in Xinjiang. Kashgar is an ancient city that used to be an important Caravanserai on the Silk Road. Politically a part of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, but culturally a part of Eastern Turkestan, it was a gateway to China for people travelling from Europe during Medieval times. Kashgar is one of the 2 main cities in Xinjiang, being primarily home to Uighurs and other minority groups, where Urumchi is more Chinese. Visited by Marco Polo in the 13th Century on his way to the court of Kublai Khan, the city retains a medieval atmosphere, like it has been trapped in time. Animals are still used for transport and the Kashgar Sunday Market has an old world feel. The region has a population of 21,813,000 (2010) of which 43% are Uighur Muslims and 41% are Han Chinese. As with other Autonomous Regions in China, Xinjiang has experienced a great deal of internal unrest since the late 1980’s, with a number of demonstrations against Chinese rule. 200 people died in Urumchi on 5th June 2009 and 35 died around the 4th Anniversary of this, in June 2013. A combination of both Uighur and Han Chinese. Kashgar, Xinjiang Province, China - 19th February 1989. (Photo by Richard Manning/Getty Images)