Kashgar Market
China, Xinjiang Province 2003
At first I imagined that these young men were selling the brooms that their mothers made, but after looking at the photo I got the idea that they had purchased them from a factory of sorts. It’s the way they are examining the merchandise as if looking for flaws. I could be wrong.
This is the way the Uyghurs dressed ten years ago. The cap the boy on the right wears was a common sight but not as common as the tubeteka or kalpak (the traditional hats worn by Central Asian men).
The Uyghurs are a Turkic people and their language is similar to Turkish…all peoples of the Silk Road. They are Muslim and are persecuted by the Han Chinese who have immigrated to Xinjiang as a way of dominating the Uyghur culture and increasing their chances of claiming any oil found in the sands of the Taklimakan Desert.
The small area of Kashgar that hasn’t been razed for high rise buildings resembles any Arabic town…narrow winding alleys, high walls punctuated by heavy wooden doors. Houses that surround a patio with a small pond and a carefully nurtured but spindly tree or two. An aroma of cumin and saffron floats on the air.
We ate dinner in such a home. In traditional Muslim style, the women brought the food to us but did not join us. I can’t remember exactly what we ate, but most likely lamb either stewed or barbecued. Our Han Chinese guide did not like what she called “Muslim Food”. not enough variety for her…lamb, lamb and more lamb. She wanted pork.