Somali National News Agency
So
Ar
Search
  • Home
  • Local News
    Local NewsShow More
    Somalia Participates in Launch of Arab Youth, Peace and Security Strategy in Jordan
    July 10, 2025
    Somalia and Ethiopia Strengthen Cooperation on Employment and Skills Development
    July 10, 2025
    Somalia, China Strengthen Cooperation on Disaster Preparedness and Resilience
    July 10, 2025
    Finance Minister Bihi Imaan Wins 2025 African Finance Minister of the Year Award in London
    July 10, 2025
    PM Hamza Emphasizes Role of Research and Strategy in Nation-Building at East African Scientific Conference
    July 9, 2025
  • World News
    World NewsShow More
    Nairobi is locked down as Kenyan police clash with protesters
    July 8, 2025
    Texas floods leave at least 51 dead, 27 girls missing as rescuers search devastated landscape
    July 6, 2025
    Protests intensify in Los Angeles after Trump deploys hundreds of National Guard troops
    June 9, 2025
    31 Palestinians are killed heading to a Gaza aid site, witnesses say. Israel denies responsibility
    June 7, 2025
    Hajj Season 1446 AH: Synergy Between Technology and Humanity in Serving the Guests of Allah
    June 6, 2025
  • Articles
    ArticlesShow More
    Exploring cultural richness of ‘pearl of Silk Road’ Kashgar
    July 8, 2025
    From Zheng He to Xi Jinping: China and Somalia’s New Vision for Self-Reliance
    July 8, 2025
    Farming the Desert: How Jiashi County Transformed Arid Land Through Innovation and Water Security
    July 4, 2025
    Ivory Coast to Host World Transhumanist Congress for the First Time in Africa
    July 3, 2025
    Desert transformation: county in Xinjiang finds prosperity in sands
    July 3, 2025
  • Business
    BusinessShow More
    Somalia Unveils the Blueprint for a Modern and Sustainable Mogadishu
    December 21, 2024
    Djibouti Launches $57.4 Million Youth Entrepreneurship Project to Combat Climate Change
    November 25, 2024
    FM meets Minister of Investment of Saudi Arabia
    October 28, 2024
    President Hassan Sheikh Inaugurates New LPG Storage Center in Mogadishu
    May 12, 2024
    Collaboration of ICT transformation for digital Infrastructure
    October 24, 2023
  • Sports
    SportsShow More
    Mogadishu Stadium to Host Star-Studded Match Featuring Somali Legends and International Football Icons
    May 27, 2025
    Arsenal held at Brighton while Man City bounce-back continues
    January 5, 2025
    Galmudug wins the Inter-State Football Tournament
    January 29, 2024
    Somalia set for two int’l friendlies ahead of WC qualifier clashes against Algeria and Uganda
    October 10, 2023
    Chicago woman, 104, skydives from plane, aiming for record as the world’s oldest skydiver
    October 3, 2023
  • Tenders
    TendersShow More
Reading: Exploring cultural richness of ‘pearl of Silk Road’ Kashgar
Share
Font ResizerAa
Somali National News AgencySomali National News Agency
  • SOMALI
  • ARABIC
Search
  • Home
  • Local News
  • World News
  • Articles
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Tenders
Follow US
©2023 || All rights reserved SONNA
Somali National News Agency > Blog > Articles > Exploring cultural richness of ‘pearl of Silk Road’ Kashgar
Articles

Exploring cultural richness of ‘pearl of Silk Road’ Kashgar

By Khadar Aweys
Last updated: July 8, 2025
6 Min Read
Share

Located in the southwestern part of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Kashgar sits on a lush oasis nourished by the Yarkant River, which flows from the Karakoram Mountains. Since ancient times, traders and travelers crossing the Pamir Plateau have stopped here to rest, trade, and connect. This made Kashgar a key hub along the ancient Silk Road and one of Xinjiang’s earliest international trading posts. Historical figures such as Zhang Qian, Xuanzang, Faxian, and Marco Polo all left their footprints in this storied land.

Today, Kashgar stands as China’s gateway to the west, an international corridor leading to Central, West, and South Asia, and the starting point of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Departing from downtown Kashgar and heading south along the Karakoram Highway, known as the “China-Pakistan Friendship Road,” one can reach Taxkorgan Tajik autonomous county after a 300-kilometer drive.

Just north of Taxkorgan lies the Ruins of Stone City, a site with more than 2,000 years of history. When Buddhist monk Xuanzang in Tang Dynasty (618-907) returned from his journey to India, he passed through the site and later described the ancient stronghold in his travelogue “The Great Tang Records on the Western Regions.” Weathered by time, the ruins still stands with quiet grandeur.

In downtown Kashgar lies the ancient city of Kashgar, which dates back over 2,100 years. Known as a “living city of antiquity,” it begins each day with a ceremonial opening: at sunrise, dancers emerge from its streets, greeting visitors with cheerful music and vibrant performances.

Wandering through the ancient city, one encounters 99 alleys that twist and turn, lined with earth-toned buildings decorated with flower pots, intricate wood carvings, colorful domes, and overhanging eaves. As families expand, new generations add floors to their homes, creating a unique and compact architectural landscape with hanging houses and enclosed passageways. Over time, more than 20,000 residences have formed a dense, labyrinthine urban layout – one of the largest inhabited clusters of earthen buildings in the world.

In the early Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), Italian traveler Marco Polo described Kashgar in his travel notes as a city with beautiful gardens, orchards, vineyards, and merchants from every corner of the world.

In August last year, Italian hiking enthusiast Vienna Cammarota visited Kashgar. Before her trip to China, she had read about the city in The Travels of Marco Polo. Upon arrival, she was thrilled to discover that Kashgar was not only a vital hub on the ancient Silk Road but also a place brimming with vitality today.

“The streets are lively by day and poetic at night,” she said. “There’s a constant hum of voices and the air is filled with the aromas of spices, freshly baked bread, and sizzling barbecue.”

In the ancient city of Kashgar, there is a cafe named Dili & Diya, run by a young local man, Dilxat Tursun, and his Tanzanian wife Hadiya.

Hadiya attributed her opportunity to live and study in China to the Belt and Road Initiative. She met Dilxat Tursun while both were students in Fuzhou, southeast China’s Fujian province. In May 2020, the couple returned to Dilxat Tursun’s hometown Kashgar.

“The moment I arrived in Kashgar, I fell in love with it,” Hadiya said. “The city has a rich history, and the people are warm and hospitable. In my hometown of Zanzibar, there’s also a Stone City, which feels quite similar to Kashgar. That connection made me feel even closer to this place.”

Their cafe features hand-crafted pottery cups from Kashgar and wall decorations from Africa. “Tanzanian coffee beans are well-known in the Chinese market,” said Dilxat Tursun. “So in March 2023, we opened this cafe together. Hadiya taught me how to grind beans and brew rich, flavorful coffee. Our lattes are made with local milk and Tanzanian coffee beans, a fusion that reflects the East-meets-West charm of Kashgar ancient city.”

“With China’s visa-free policy expanding its coverage, we’re seeing more and more international visitors at our cafe,” he added.

As the business grows, securing a steady supply of coffee beans has become a top priority. “When we first started, we would bring beans back with us during family visits to Tanzania. Now, they’re shipped via a more stable route – from Africa to Europe, then to Kashgar by China-Europe freight trains,” he explained.

At the end of last year, construction began on the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan Railway. Dilxat Tursun was among the first to celebrate the news. “This railway starts in Kashgar. We hope for its swift completion and operation, which would make coffee bean transport even easier. More importantly, I believe this project will open up more trade opportunities and improve daily life for people in the countries along the route,” he said.

The ancient city of Kashgar. Photo by Yumit Qadir

Performers dance outside the ancient city of Kashgar to welcome tourists. (Photo by Wang Zhenqiang)

Photo shows Dilxat Tursun (right) and Hadiya. (Photo provided by Dilxat Tursun)

Photo shows a street in the ancient city of Kashgar. (Photo by Che Bin/People’s Daily)

By Che Bin, Li Yanan, People’s Daily

Share This Article
Facebook Whatsapp Whatsapp Email Copy Link Print

MORE NEWS

Official Reopening of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Archives

CultureEducationLocal News
November 23, 2024

Kenya’s small farmers find respite in avocados amid changing climate

NAIROBI(SONNA) As crop diseases and pests rise in Kenya amid a rapidly changing climate that…

March 11, 2023

Somalia Participates in Launch of Arab Youth, Peace and Security Strategy in Jordan

Amman, (SONNA) – The Minister of Youth and Sports of the Federal Government of Somalia,…

July 10, 2025

Nimcaan Hilaac appointed to lead Waberi National Band

Mogadishu (SONNA)-Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of the Federal Republic of Somalia, H.E. Mohamed…

March 3, 2020

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Somalia is making progress in holding elections on time

Mogadishu(SONNA)-Somalia is completely in elections period at moment as the elections for seats in the Upper House of Parliament have begun…

ArticlesLocal News
August 14, 2021

From Zheng He to Xi Jinping: China and Somalia’s New Vision for Self-Reliance

Beijing, (SONNA): In an exclusive interview with the Somali National News Agency (SONNA), The Federal Republic of Somalia’s Ambassador to…

Articles
July 8, 2025

Somali Religious Scholars Join the Fight Against Al-Shabaab: A United Stand Against Deceptive Justifications

Somalia is a Muslim nation and religion plays a significant role in its culture and history. Over the years, terrorists…

Articles
February 6, 2023

Somalia Appoints High-Profile Envoy to Strengthen Diplomatic Ties with Kenya

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud of Somalia has named Jabril Ibrahim Abdulle as his new ambassador to Kenya, marking a significant…

Articles
November 24, 2023

Somali National News Agency established in 1964. It is one of the main pillars of the Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism.

  • Home
  • Local News
  • World News
  • Articles
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Tenders
  • SNTV
  • RADIO MOGADISHU
  • DALKA JOURNAL
  • TOURISM DEPARTMENT

Follow US: 

  • MoICT
  • VILLA SOMALIA
  • OPM SOMALIA

All rights reserved SONNA

©2023

Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?