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Shipton¡¯s Arch

Kashgar

This extraordinary natural rock arch (the rather prosaic Uyghur name means simply ¡®mountain with a hole in it¡¯) is one of the tallest on earth. The first¡­

Sunday Livestock Market

Kashgar

No visit to Kashgar is complete without a trip to the Livestock Market, which takes place once a week on Sunday. The day begins with Uyghur farmers and¡­

Hotan Sunday Market

Xinjiang

Hotan¡¯s most popular attraction is its weekly Sunday market. The covered market bustles every day of the week, but on Sundays it swamps the northeast part¡­

Grand Sunday Bazaar

Kashgar

Kashgar¡¯s main bazaar is open every day but really kicks it up a gear on Sunday. Step through the jam-packed entrance and allow your five senses to guide¡­

Bulunkou Lake

Xinjiang

This absolute wonder of nature is the first of the big plate-glass lakes you meet as you head up to Tashkurgan on the Karakoram Hwy. Backed by sublime¡­

Kashgar Old Town

Kashgar

The Old Town is the soul of Kashgar, and as such the government has spent much of the past two decades knocking it down block by block and building a¡­

Kanas Lake Nature Reserve

Xinjiang

Stunning Kanas Lake (¹þÄÉ˹ºþ, H¨¡n¨¤s¨© H¨²) is a long finger of water surrounded by soaring mountain peaks nestled in the southernmost reaches of the Siberian¡­

Tian Chi Lake

Xinjiang

Two thousand metres up in the Tian Shan range is Tian Chi, a small, long steely-blue lake nestled below the view-grabbing 5445m Peak of God (²©¸ñ´ï·å, B¨®g¨¦d¨¢¡­

Sayram Lake

Xinjiang

Vast Sayram Lake, 120km north of Yining and 90km west of Bole, is an excellent spot to get a taste of the Tian Shan range (Tengri Tagh in Kazakh). The¡­

Melikawat Ruins

Xinjiang

The deserts around Hotan are peppered with the faint remains of abandoned cities. The most interesting are those of Melikawat, 25km south of town, a Tang¡­

Hami Kings Mausoleum

Xinjiang

The chief reason to visit Hami is for this wonderfully serene complex of tombs containing the nine generations of Hami kings who ruled the region from¡­

Zaghunluq Ancient Mummy Tomb

Xinjiang

This 2600-year-old tomb contains 13 naturally mummified Mongol bodies, still sporting shreds of colourful clothing. What's particularly interesting here¡­

Id Kah Mosque

Kashgar

The yellow-tiled Id Kah Mosque, which dates from 1442, is the spiritual and physical heart of the city. Enormous (it's the largest mosque in Xinjiang),¡­

Karakul Lake

Xinjiang

Extraordinarily beautiful Karakul Lake sits below the soaring snowcapped peak of Muztagh Ata (7509m) and has a couple of small Kyrgyz settlements along¡­

±á¨¦³¾¨´

Xinjiang

This gorgeous little Tuvan village is an alternative place to base yourself when you visit Kanas Lake. It's 70km southeast of the lake, but far less¡­

Abakh Hoja Mausoleum

Kashgar

This 3-hectare mausoleum complex was built by the Khoja family, who ruled the region in the 17th and 18th centuries. Widely considered the holiest Muslim¡­

Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves

Xinjiang

This is the largest cave-art site in Xinjiang and the earliest major Buddhist cave complex in all of China. In its day, the site would have been¡­

Subashi

Xinjiang

Subashi was a Buddhist complex that thrived from the 3rd to 13th centuries. It's less visited than other ancient cities in Xinjiang, but with its starkly¡­

Barkol Lake

Xinjiang

If the summer heat of Hami is unbearable, take a day trip out to the cooler climes of Barkol Lake (B¨¡l¨«k¨±n H¨²), on the north side of the Tian Shan. Kazakh¡­

Toghraklek Manor

Xinjiang

The main sight in Cherchen itself is this fine example of early-20th-century Kashgarian architecture, built in 1911 for a local warlord. The compound has¡­

Rawaq Stupa

Xinjiang

This 9m-tall ruin is the largest of the southern Silk Road Buddhist stupas yet discovered. Built between the 3rd and 5th centuries for a wealthy Khotanese¡­

Hotan Cultural Museum

Xinjiang

Hotan's museum is relatively small but well curated and has items labelled in English. The main attractions are a fine painted wooden coffin and two 1500¡­

Great Mosque

Xinjiang

Kuqa's Great Mosque, rebuilt in 1932 on the site of a 16th-century original, is the second largest in X¨©nji¨¡ng. (The largest is the Id Kah Mosque in¡­

Yarkand Old Town

Xinjiang

To escape modern Yarkand's uninspiring grid system, take a walk in the Old Town to the east of the Altun Mosque, where craftsmen still work their wares¡­

Mazar of Imam Asim

Xinjiang

A few kilometres beyond the village of Jiya lies the tomb complex of Imam Asim (Tomb of Four Imams). It¡¯s a popular pilgrimage site, particularly during¡­

J¨ªy¨¤ Silk Workshop

Xinjiang

Northeast of Hotan is the small town of J¨ªy¨¤ (¼ªÑÇÏç), a traditional centre for silk production. Visitors can wander the workshop (atlas karakhana in Uyghur)¡­

Hotan Foreign Trade Carpet Factory

Xinjiang

On the eastern bank of the Yurungkash River is this large factory (gilim karakhana in Uyghur). It¡¯s primarily set up for group visits but it's perfectly¡­

Altun Mosque Complex

Xinjiang

Yarkand¡¯s main sights are clustered around its charming central 18th-century mosque. The surrounding sprawling cemetery is home to several other¡­

Tashkurgan Fort

Xinjiang

The 1400-year-old stone (tash) fortifications (kurgan) of this fort give the town of Tashkurgan on the Karakorum Hwy its name. The ruins were one of the¡­

Sh¨£nx¨© Mosque

Xinjiang

A couple of blocks southeast of the People's Sq is the Uyghur Old Town and the impressive 260-year-old Sh¨£nx¨© Mosque, which looks far more like a piece of¡­

Mor Pagoda

Kashgar

At the end of a 45km drive northeast of Kashgar are the ruins of Ha Noi, a Tang-dynasty town built in the 7th century and abandoned in the 12th century¡­

Sunday Bazaar

Xinjiang

Every Sunday, a large bazaar is held next to the bridge over the Kuqa River on Renmin Lu, which leads into the Uyghur Old Town ¨C about 2.5km west of the¡­

Hami Museum

Xinjiang

This mildly interesting three-floor museum spotlights mummies and dinosaurs found in the region, including several impressively preserved fossilised nests¡­

Rasta Mosque

Xinjiang

The charmingly painted Rasta Mosque, about 2.5km west of the modern town, draws a throng of worshippers at Friday lunchtime. The rest of the time it's¡­

Kuche Royal Palace

Xinjiang

Located in the old town, 3.5km west of the centre, is the rebuilt Kuche Palace, the residence of the kings of Kuche until the early 20th century. The¡­

Cherchen Museum

Xinjiang

Relics from Cherchen¡¯s main sights are on display at this regional museum, alongside displays ranging from yetis in the Altun Tagh mountains to the¡­

Kumul Muqam Heritage Centre

Xinjiang

The extraordinary exterior of this eye-catching building is perhaps its most impressive feature, and is well worth checking out as it's next to the main¡­

Mausoleum of Ammanisahan

Xinjiang

This mausoleum commemorates a 16th-century Yarkand Uyghur queen and musician famed for her work collecting Uyghur muqam music. Behind the tomb is the¡­

Maulana Ashiddin Mazar

Xinjiang

This timeless green-tiled mosque and tomb of a 13th-century Arabian missionary is surrounded by a sea of graves and overflows with worshippers at Friday¡­

Tomb of Mahmud Kashgari

Xinjiang

Mahmud Kashgari was a beloved local 11th-century scholar, traveller and writer. His renovated tomb, about 2.5km from the market on the edge of Upal Hill¡­