Sunday Market

Sunday Market Review

Kashgar's famous Sunday Market consists of two bazaars with a distance of almost 10 km (6 mi) between them. The Yengi Bazaar on Aizilaiti Lu, about 1½ km (1 mi) northeast of the city center, is open every day, but on Sunday the surrounding streets overflow with vendors hawking everything from boiled sheep's heads to trendy sunglasses. In the covered section you can bargain for decorative knives, embroidered fabrics, and all sorts of Uyghur-themed souvenirs. Behind the bazaar, rows of sleepy donkeys nod off in the bright sunlight, their carts lined up neatly beside them. For the best photos, however, you'll need to head over to the Ulak Bazaar, a 10-minute taxi ride to the east. Essentially a livestock market, farmers here tug recalcitrant sheep through the streets, scarf-shrouded women preside over heaps of red eggs, and old Uyghur men squat over baskets of chickens, haggling over the virtues and vices of each hapless hen. In the market for a camel? You can buy one here. On the outskirts of the market you can get an old-world-style straight-razor shave from a Uyghur barber or grab a bowl of laghman noodles, knowing that it's flavored with meat that is very, very fresh.