©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd XīnjiāngPOP 22.9 MILLION Includes ¨ Why Go? Ürümqi ..................... 802 China’s largest province, Xīnjiāng (新疆) is the homeland Turpan ...................... 808 of the Muslim Uighurs and a fast-changing region where Hāmì .......................... 811 ancient and modern grind up against each other in sur- prising ways. High-speed railways crothere ss the Martian Kuqa .......................... 812 landscapes linking cities in hours rather than days, and the Kashgar ..................... 814 region al capital Ürümqi is a forest of high-rise apartments Karakoram and glass skyscrapers; while in parts of the Silk Road oa- Highway ..................... 819 ses of Kashgar, Hotan and Turpan, life goes as it has for Yengisar .................... 823 centuries, based around the mosque, the tea house and the Hotan ........................ 824 bazaar. Despite the enormous military and police presence here Yarkand .................... 827 due to several years of ethnic unrest, Xīnjiāng is increas- Karghilik ................... 827 ingly attracting visitors for its extraordinary natural beauty Yīníng ....................... 830 and fascinating Central Asian history and culture. In short, a visit to Chinese Turkestan makes for an exploration of China’s past and its unsettled multicultural present, or sim- Best Places to Eat ply a journey into some of the most sublime landscapes on earth. ¨ Altun Orda (p817) ¨ Ōu’ěr Dáxīkè Night Market (p817) When to Go Ürümqi ¨ Miss Chen’s Pizza House °C/°F Te mp Rainfall inches/mm (p811) 40/104 12/300 30/86 ¨ Marco’s Dream Cafe (p826) 20/68 ¨ Rendezvous (p805) 10/50 8/200 0/32 -10/14 4/100 -20/-4 Best Places to -30/-22 -40/-40 0 Sleep J FDM A M J J A S O N ¨ Dap Hostel (p808) ¨ Zabay Guest House (p812) Mar Nauryz (New May Sunny days Sep Sublime Year) festivals are and cool breezes autumnal colours ¨ Doppa Youth Hostel (p831) held in Kazakh and make this one of at Kanas Lake and ¨ Turpan Silk Road Lodge Kyrgyz villages. the best times to Hémù. (p808) visit Xīnjiāng. ¨ K2 Youth Hostel (p822) 800 History 7th-century Tang, though central control By the end of the 2nd century BC, the ex- was tenuous at best. A Uighur kingdom panding Han dynasty had pushed its borders based at Khocho thrived from the 8th cen- west into what is now Xīnjiāng. Military gar- tury and oversaw the Central Asian people’s risons protected the fledgling trade routes, transformation from nomads to farmers and as silk flowed out of the empire in return for from Manichaeans to Buddhists. the strong Ferghana horses needed to fight It was during Kharakhanid rule in the 10th nomadic incursions from the north. Chi- to 12th centuries that Islam took hold in Xīn- nese imperial rule waxed and waned over jiāng. In 1219, Ili (modern Yīníng), Hotan and the centuries, shrinking after the collapse Kashgar fell to the Mongols and their various of the Han and reasserting itself during the successors controlled the whole of Central Kanas Lake RUSSIA 0 200 km Nature Reserve Ji†d‰ngyù 0 100 miles A Kanas Airport Bu’erjin lt ay The external boundaries of India on River M this map have not been authenticated Altay o A and may not be correct. Jímùn†i u Xīnjiāng Xīnjiāng n Bù'›rj¸n ta in 216 s Erq Emin Q¸nghé Lake T†chéng is 217 (Irtys Balkash Karamay h) River (Kèlƒm†y¸) Jungar MONGOLI HISTORY KAZAKHSTAN „lƒshƒnk¡u Basin Bólè Sayram (Zhungarian) Lake J¸nghé Korgas Kuytun Barkol Zharkent Lake Y¸níng ÜRÜMQI Peak of God (W§LªMÙQÍ) (5445m) X¸nyuán 218 Turpan 312 Zhƒos¥ Hƒmì Jiƒohé Gƒochƒng KYRGYZSTAN 217 Bayanbulak Kizil Thousand Tuyoq Shƒn Buddha Caves S¥bƒshí Tiƒn Aydingkul Torugart Aksu Kuqa Lúntái Korla Bosten Lake Pass („kès¥) (Kùch‰) (Kù'›rlè) Lake Turpan Basin Tari Irkeshtam y m 218 Loulan 314 River Pass (60km) Hw Tarim Basin Lake Lop Kashgar River Nor (Kƒshí) Yarkand esert Taklamakan Desert D¥nhuáng Davakul Lake D River Miran Karakul - s s Lake an Yengisar t Charklik ert Y¸t¥nbùlƒkè Yarkand (Shƒch‰ ) Cro Chercheniver 315 Tashkurgan Ho R (Ruòqiƒng) y Karghilik (Yèchéng) River Des s w n Karakoram Aksu Huƒt©gŸu i – a H Cherchen Southern ta Hotan iy n Highway (Qi›mò) Silk Road u r o Cross- M Khunjerab Pass Hotan n Ke ltu (4800m) A Golmud Sost; Gilgit Niya 219 Keriya (Mínf‰ng) (Yútián) s K2 Under ntain (8611m) administration Mou Q¹NGH‡I of China lun INDIA Kun Line of TIBET Actual Control Xīnjiāng Highlights 1 Karakoram Highway caves that surround this laid- Choosing between silk, (p819) Travelling one of the back oasis town. spices, jade and carpets at world’s most extraordinary 3 Sunday livestock Hotan’s excellent bazaar. road journeys. market (p814) Witnessing 5 Kanas Lake Nature 2 Turpan (p808) Exploring Central Asia at its most Reserve (p830) Heading ancient ruins, mountain authentic in Kashgar. into Xīnjiāng’s remote north landscapes and Buddhist 4 Sunday Market (p825) to see magnificent mountain scenery..