Id Kah Mosque

'Id Kah' means 'a place of praying and celebrating in festivals'. The Id Kah Mosque is located on the central square in Kashgar City, Xinjiang Uigur Autonomous Region. As the biggest mosque in China, it is a group of old Islamic constructions with strong ethnic style and religious features.

It is said that this place was once a cemetery. The present Id Kah Mosque was built in 1442 as a very small structure. Several renovations and enlargements have created it with today's scale and style.

The whole complex occupies 16,800 square meters (about 4 acres) and consists of the courtyard, the Hall of Prayer, and the gate tower and as well as some other attached structures.

Just inside the gate is a big courtyard. In it, the poplar trees reach the sky and the pines grow vigorously like boys and girls in their adolescence. The whole yard is heavily shaded, making you as cool and comfortable as if you were in an air-conditioned environment. A pond with limpid water is a bright mirror enclosed by the green trees. It endows the mosque with a quiet elegance.

The Hall of Prayer is on a high dais in the west end of the mosque. The roof is held by light blue pillars and all the pillars form a rectangular shape. Around the roof and the pillars are exquisite carvings and beautiful pictures. The brick gate tower faces the Id Kah Square. This tower is full of elaborate flower-pattern carvings, mainly in green.

Every day thousands of worshippers come here to pray. Every Friday afternoon, Muslims living far and near gather here to worship. During religious festivals all the Muslims in Xinjiang Uigur Autonomous Region come to this sacred place to celebrate. At prayer time, the mosque, the square, the streets and the roads all around are full of piously kneeling Muslims. Afterwards, all the people get together on the square in front of the Id Kah Mosque and dance to show their happiness, with no sign of exhaustion.

Karakuri Lake

Karakuri Lake, situated at the foot of Mount Muztagata, lies 191 kilometers (about 120 miles) from Kashgar. It is 3,600 meters (about 11,811 feet) above sea level, 30 meters (about 98 feet) deep and with a surface of ten square kilometers (about four square miles).

The lake is surrounded by a series of mountains, such as Mount Muztagata and Kongur Shan. At the lakefront, there is grassland with roaming flocks and herds. At dawn, Karakuri Lake looks as pure as a jade mirror. When the sun rises, the lake changes colors in the course of a few minutes from mauve to golden and then to light pink. The snow-covered mountain, green grass and livestock form reflections in the mirror-like water, creating a fair and charming picture of Karakuri Lake.

At the lakeside, there are yurts and frame houses of Tajik ethnic group providing rooms and board for visitors. You can also go out on the small rafts and enjoy yourselves on the lake. A reception center near the lake facilitates rentals, yachts, camels, horses etc. in accordance with your needs. In addition, if you want to climb mountains, the encampment for mountaineering can allow you to fulfill your wish.