Kashgar Prefecture

Kashgar is China's westernmost city, situated in southwestern Xinjiang on the edge of the Pamir Mountains and Tarim Basin. In the Uyghur language, Kashgar means 'place of jade'. The city has been an important transportation hub between West and East for centuries, strategically located at the junction of the north, south and central routes of the Silk Road. There are a wide range of historical attractions, including the city's most iconic building, the 15th-century Id Kah Mosque. Id Kah is China's largest mosque and serves as the center of Xinjiang's Muslim culture. The city also has Buddhist grottoes and a number of ancient ruins and tombs.