Yarkand

Introducing Yarkand

Yarkand (Shāchē), Samarkand, Kashgar – put this town on the list of those beckoning to bygone Silk Road days. At the end of a major trade route from British India, over the Karakoram Pass from Leh, Yarkand was for centuries an important caravan town and centre for Hindu tradesmen and moneylenders. Today it’s important because a branch road leads north to Aksu.

The town is known for the dead. Tombs honouring royalty are the primary draw; the most famous of which is the tomb of Ammanisahan, a Uighur queen and musician famed for her work collecting the Uighur muqam.

Sights otherwise really means the alleys of the intriguing old quarter, where craftsmen still work their wares – noisily and sweatily –with ball-peen hammers and grindstones.

Last updated: Jun 3, 2009