Reposted from the web

Summary: This Muslim travel guide to Kashgar covers Id Kah Mosque, Kashgar Old City, Abakh Khoja Mazar in Fragrant Concubine Garden, Sufi heritage, prayer experiences, Uyghur daily life, and local halal food.

A Kashgar Mosque Tour: The Abakh Khoja Tomb (Mazar) Inside the Fragrant Concubine Garden (Xiangfei Yuan) is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: The charm of Kashgar lies in the fact that it has both the tourist-friendly Kashgar Old City and Fragrant Concubine Garden (Xiangfeiyuan), as well as shrines (mazar) and mosques where various Sufi orders (menhuan) visit. The account keeps its focus on Halal Travel, Yiwu Food, Mosque Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

The charm of Kashgar lies in the fact that it has both the tourist-friendly Kashgar Old City and Fragrant Concubine Garden (Xiangfeiyuan), as well as shrines (mazar) and mosques where various Sufi orders (menhuan) visit to honor their ancestors. Everyone experiences Kashgar in their own way.

We spent three days and two nights in Kashgar. We drove all the way from Beijing, covering about 5,000 kilometers. I had the car serviced before leaving Beijing, and it was just time for another service when we arrived in Kashgar.

We found a repair shop near the Old City. The owner is a local Han Chinese born and raised in Kashgar, and he employs a group of Uyghur youths. The owner is very talkative and speaks Uyghur. He had a Uyghur girlfriend when he was young, but they broke up because her family opposed the relationship. Now, he leads a group of Uyghur guys in his business. According to him, there are about 100,000 old Kashgar Han Chinese like him who are fluent in Uyghur, but his son cannot speak the language.

We greeted the Uyghur mechanic with a salaam. He touched his chest, and then he worked even harder.

We found a nice homestay in the Kashgar Old City. Because it is located at the entrance of the Old City and is very close to the underground parking lot, the price is high. It is called Wasting Half a Lifetime (Langfei Bansheng). The homestay is in a Moroccan style, which fits perfectly in the Kashgar Old City and feels very appropriate.







The famous Id Kah Mosque (Aitigaer) is right on the Old City square. I had looked forward to visiting it for many years, but after actually walking inside, I felt a bit disappointed.





There are many mosques in Xinjiang called Id Kah, which means a place for festival prayers. The one in Kashgar is the largest Id Kah Mosque in Xinjiang, covering 16,800 square meters, and it was first built in 1442.



It is comforting that people can still pray here, but only during prayer times. At other times, it is open for tourists to visit for a 30-yuan ticket. Many tourists pay to come in, walk around, and then say it is not worth the visit.



The Id Kah Mosque is not as big as I imagined. Perhaps it is because the main hall building is relatively small, and most of the area is the open space in front of the hall. Also, the entire mosque has been renovated, so you cannot see any ancient traces.













In the middle of the main hall, a tour guide was explaining things to a group of tourists. I walked to the side and performed two rak'ahs of prayer. My heart was not calm during these two rak'ahs because this was the first time on our trip through Southern Xinjiang that we were able to perform a normal prayer.





The streets and alleys of Kashgar are full of advertisements for the Fragrant Concubine Tomb scenic area. However, after the Fragrant Concubine married the Qianlong Emperor, she was buried in Beijing. This tomb in Kashgar is only a cenotaph for her, and her family members are buried inside. In this cemetery, the most worth mentioning is the shrine (mazar) of Afaq Khoja, as the Fragrant Concubine was his great-granddaughter.



The Fragrant Concubine Tomb (Xiangfei Muyuan) is very large and has complete facilities. It is a spot worth visiting for photos. The tomb (mazar) of Afaq Khoja is inside, but you might miss it if you do not look carefully because there are no clear signs around it.













The mazar of Afaq Khoja is right next to the Jiaman Mosque. Since there are no signs, most tourists do not walk this way, making it look especially quiet in the busy Fragrant Concubine Garden.



Afaq Khoja is very important to the various Sufi orders (menhuan) in China, and his influence is closely linked to their history. His disciples include leaders of the Jahriyya, Xianmen, Bi Jichang, Mufti, Ma Diangong, Liu Boyang, Tong Tai Baba, Li Tai Baba, and Anxi Taiye. Ma Laichi of the Huasi menhuan was also born after receiving a blessing from Afaq Khoja, so the records of these menhuan all trace back to Afaq Khoja in Xinjiang.



Because of his struggle with the Black Mountain sect, Afaq Khoja was forced to move to inland areas like Gansu, Ningxia, and Qinghai. Later, he sought help from the Fifth Dalai Lama, who instructed Galdan to support Afaq Khoja's return to Yarkand. Afaq Khoja returned to Yarkand and later died during the struggle against the Black Mountain sect.



Both the Black Mountain sect and the White Mountain sect come from the same Khoja family. Ishaq, the youngest son of Makhdum-i-Azam, was the founder of the Black Mountain sect. Mamut Yusuph, the grandson of Makhdum-i-Azam, was the founder of the White Mountain sect, and Afaq Khoja was the son of Mamut Yusuph.

















Across from the Jiaman Mosque, there is another prayer hall, but it is no longer in use.







About two or three kilometers from the Kashgar Old City, there is another tomb complex similar in style to the Fragrant Concubine Garden that is also worth mentioning: the Tomb of Yusuf Khass Hajib (1019-1085).



Yusuf Khass Hajib, the famous poet and author of Wisdom of Royal Glory (Kutadgu Bilig), was a Kyrgyz person and a court official for the Karakhanid dynasty. Kashgar was the capital of the dynasty at the time, and Khass Hajib means court official. His portrait is still printed on Kyrgyz banknotes today.



Yusuf Khass Hajib had a huge influence on Uyghur language and literature, much like Confucius for the Chinese people. However, because Han people do not know much about him, very few tourists visit his tomb.









































In Kashgar, you have to wait until almost 11:00 PM for it to get dark, which is a time difference of nearly three hours from Beijing. It is very sunny during the day, so you can visit the Night Market (Han Bazar) in the Old City at night. There are many tourists there, and it is still busy until 1:00 AM.







The old man's melon at the Han Bazar costs 3 yuan a slice; it is delicious and cheap.









Figs (wuhuaguo).



Braised meat (gangzirou)



Rose pigeon soup (meiguihua gezi tang)



Rice sausage and lung (michang mianfei)





Roasted goose egg (kao edan)





Thin-skinned steamed bun (baopi baozi)



The snacks at the night market (hanbazha) taste great. They have almost all the unique snacks from Xinjiang here, which is very friendly for tourists. Since the old town was renovated, it has attracted many couples who come here to take portraits.





While wandering around the old town, we accidentally found a few mosques that were not open to the public. Even though some did not have signs, we could easily recognize them by their distinct minarets.





Sahaya Community Oil Market Mosque (Sahaya shequ youbazha qingzhensi)





Wuerdashike Mosque (Wuerdashike qingzhensi)



Finding a good restaurant in southern Xinjiang is actually simple. Just look at the name. Some names sound a bit strange because they are direct translations from the Uyghur language. For example, a restaurant called 'Seven Generations of Food' means that seven generations of their family have worked in the food business. Han Chinese people usually do not choose names like that.











Uyghur people have a great tradition of being very quiet when eating in public. If you are observant, you can notice this.



Before leaving Kashgar, I visited a friend. She just had her second child and was on maternity leave. Her parents moved from Sichuan to settle in Kashgar. She has completely adapted to the climate in Kashgar and would actually find it uncomfortable to live in the south now.



We had our last meal in Kashgar at this meatball soup (wanzi tang) shop called Miquan Wonton. The name tells you the owner is from Miquan, a district in Urumqi. After leaving Kashgar, we drove north toward our destination, Urumqi.





The taxi trunk had a bilingual sticker that said, Please do not slam the door. Experience tells me that in Xinjiang, the trunk is the part of the car that breaks the easiest. Can you guess why? view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: Muslim Travel Guide China 2026: Changde Taohuayuan, Uyghur Heritage and Hunan Halal Travel is presented here as a clear English account for Muslim readers, beginning with this scene: — Hello, Travel —. The article keeps the original names, food details, mosque details, photographs, and cultural context while focusing on Changde Travel, Uyghur Heritage, Hunan Muslims.



— Hello, Travel —

I had long heard about a village in Taoyuan County, Changde, Hunan, made up of descendants of Uyghurs. During the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty, General Haleshi led a troop of Hui Muslim soldiers to be stationed in Changde. Haleshi was a descendant of the governor of the Gaochang Kingdom. After the change of dynasties, he was granted the title of General of the South by the Ming emperor and given the surname Jian, which means to cut off the remnants of the Northern Yuan. These descendants of the Uyghurs stayed in Changde, married locals for generations, and formed a Uyghur village with unique Hunan characteristics.

Changde has four ethnic townships with Uyghur in their names:

Xujiaqiao Hui and Uyghur Ethnic Township;

Maojiatan Hui and Uyghur Ethnic Township;

Fengshu Uyghur and Hui Ethnic Township;

Qinglin Hui and Uyghur Ethnic Township;

In reality, only Fengshu Uyghur and Hui Ethnic Township has a large number of local Uyghurs. The other three are essentially Hui townships, each with a newly built mosque. Only Fengshu retains some historical sites and is worth visiting.

You can fly directly from Beijing Daxing Airport to Changde Taohuayuan Airport. We chose to stay in downtown Changde that night and decided to head to Fengshu Township in Taoyuan County the next day. Before going to Fengshu, we first visited the Changde Mosque.

Changde has eight mosques in total. The oldest is the Changde Ancient Mosque in the city center. It was first built during the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty, but the original building was destroyed and replaced by a new structure in 2004. The current imam of the Changde Ancient Mosque is a local from Changde. During the pandemic, all collective religious activities were suspended.







Qingzhen Diyi Chun is the name of a restaurant that no longer exists.



The mosque is the site of the Hui Muslim branch of the CPC Changde District Working Committee.



The mosque has four floors and a dome on top.



















The main prayer hall.







We saw two restaurants near the mosque. One was labeled Jian Family Islamic Restaurant, which I assumed was run by local Uyghurs. The other was called Islamic Restaurant, where the servers wore headscarves and it looked more halal, so we chose that one.





Locals usually eat rice noodles for breakfast. In Hunan, you have to try a bowl of authentic Hunan beef rice noodles (niurou fen). I was worried the spice would be too much, but this bowl wasn't that spicy. The broth was rich and the beef was tender. It was run by local Hui Muslims, so it was definitely the real deal. You can also pair your breakfast with fried dough snacks. They come in sweet and savory options and cost only 1 yuan each, which is a great deal.



It is over 30 kilometers from downtown Changde to Fengshu Township. You can take a bus or a taxi. The bus takes nearly two hours and requires transfers, so I suggest taking a taxi. You will get there in 40 minutes.



The mosque in Fengshu Village is easy to find. It is right next to the main road at the village entrance, and you can see the gate sign from far away.



The mosque in Fengshu Village was first built during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang ordered it built to honor the Jian father and son who died in battle. It was first called Zhennan Scripture Hall. In the fifth year of the Republic of China, it was renamed the Jianjiagang Ancient Mosque. According to the Jian Family Genealogy, the Qingzhen West Mosque was built in the 26th year of the Hongwu period and rebuilt in the late Qing Dynasty, when it was renamed the Jianjiagang Ancient Mosque. The famous historian Jian Bozan was born here in 1898 and attended the local Islamic primary school starting at age three.

Jian Bozan studied in the United States as a young man and later served as vice president of Peking University. He died by suicide during the Cultural Revolution at the age of 70. His descendants now live in Wuhan, and some of his relatives work as university teachers.

The mother of Taiwanese singer Angela Chang is a Uyghur from Taoyuan County, Changde, Hunan. Her name is Jiang Rouyi. Her original surname was Jian, but she changed it to Jiang because the surname was rare.



Inside the mosque is the tomb of Hale Bashi, known by his Chinese name Jian Bashi. He was a Gaochang Uyghur who died in 1388 while ordered to suppress a rebellion in Yunnan and Guizhou. He was buried in Huanglonggang, Changde by imperial decree, and his remains were moved to Group 5 of Huiwei New Village in Fengshu Township in 1956.





We met the imam at the mosque. He told us that the local religious situation is much better now. No one in the village eats pork, and funeral customs still follow Islamic traditions. During the Republic of China era, a plague killed many people. The imam was too busy to handle all the funerals, so some villagers hired Buddhist monks or Taoist priests to perform rituals. This upset some religious villagers, leading to conflict, and a group of people left the faith.

This is just a legend. I think the main reason was the broader environment. Hunan is a place where Han culture is very strong. Plus, the area was isolated, so Muslims had little contact with the outside world and were a minority. It makes sense that this kind of departure from the faith happened.







Looking at Huiwei Village from the roof of the mosque.



Local villagers come for namaz every day. On Fridays for Jumu'ah, about 20 or 30 people show up. They are all locals, mostly elderly.











After visiting the mosque, the imam recommended we go to the Huiwei Farmhouse Restaurant less than 200 meters away. It is a very large, six-story building with enough space in the courtyard to park several cars. As soon as we entered the courtyard, the owner greeted us with "Assalamu Alaikum." He is a local Uyghur and told us to call him Old Jian.







The writing above is in the Uyghur language. I asked a Uyghur friend about it, and it roughly means that every place has its own food and customs, and it speaks to ethnic unity.

The Hui and Uyghur villagers today look basically the same as the local Hunanese, though a small number still have some features from the Western Regions. When Lao Jian went to Xinjiang years ago, he could not speak Uyghur, so he went to the mosque of the Hui Muslims to perform namaz. Lao Jian told me that in Changde, people with the surname Jian are not necessarily Uyghur; some are Han Chinese.

Before the ethnic classification in the People's Republic of China, the term Uyghur did not exist in Hui-Wei Village; there was only a distinction between Hui and Han. After the ethnic classification, the Jian clan was identified as Uyghur, and they gradually built their own ethnic identity. Now, the Uyghurs in Hui-Wei New Village intermarry most often with the Hui Muslims, followed by the Han Chinese, so it is common locally for Hui, Uyghur, and Han families to be close and hard to tell apart.









The restaurant serves local Hunan flavors. Lao Jian recommended the ancestral palm-sized beef (bazhang niurou), which was delicious. The beef was chewy, flavorful, and unique, making it a great side for rice. When eating in Hunan, rice is served by the bucket. You scoop as much as you want, and you can have unlimited refills.







The complimentary local fermented bean curd (doufurui) and pickled vegetables were very spicy, which is exactly how I imagine Hunan spice.



Greens from their own vegetable garden.

After the meal, we asked Lao Jian for directions to the Peach Blossom Spring (Taohuayuan) scenic area. He said he was heading there anyway and offered to drive us. It is over 40 kilometers from Hui-Wei New Village to the Peach Blossom Spring scenic area, about a one-hour drive. On the way, we listened to Lao Jian talk about the changes in Hui-Wei New Village over the years.

Hui-Wei New Village was once a model of ethnic integration and attracted groups from everywhere. Uyghurs from Xinjiang used to visit often, and Lao Jian also visited Xinjiang and received a warm welcome. However, things have changed in recent years and fewer people come, for reasons you probably understand. The young people in the village now have a stronger sense of ethnic identity, and Lao Jian remains optimistic about the future.



We said goodbye to Lao Jian and entered the Peach Blossom Spring scenic area. It is a 5A-rated scenic spot with an entrance fee of 128 yuan per person. Villagers get in for free. After buying our tickets, we received a villager pass, which allows us to enter and exit the park freely for three days. Since the area is huge, I suggest staying inside the park for a day.





Peach Blossom Spring is the one described by Tao Yuanming. It has thousands of acres of peach forests, but they were closed during the pandemic.



The Humble Room (Loushi) described by Liu Yuxi.













There is no halal food inside the scenic area, so remember to bring your own snacks.

After staying in Changde for two days, we headed to our next stop, Shaoyang, Hunan. Shaoyang is the capital of halal food in Hunan, and I will share more details in my next post about my halal trip to Shaoyang. view all