The Abakh Hoja Tomb stands in a village a few kilometres northeast of the centre of Kashgar. It is the mausoleum of a family of Uyghur religious teachers and rulers who were influential in the Kashgar region from the seventeenth century, and it is the most important architectural monument of its type in Xinjiang.
The building
The centrepiece is a large square hall crowned with a dome, its walls and dome faced in glazed tiles in green, blue, brown and white, laid in geometric and floral patterns. The effect is quite different from the mud-brick and timber of most buildings in the region, and the tiled surface catches the light so that the building changes character through the day. Around the main hall are further tombs, a mosque, a small madrasa and a courtyard planted with trees, and the whole complex is enclosed by a wall.
The interior
Inside the domed hall, a series of coffins wrapped in coloured cloth are arranged on a raised platform, one for each member of the family buried here. The interior is dim and the dome creates a long echo, and the effect is solemn rather than decorative. Visitors are asked to keep quiet, to walk around the platform rather than across it, and generally not to photograph the tombs themselves.
The Xiangfei name
The tomb is widely known in Chinese as the Xiangfei Tomb, after a legendary concubine of the Qianlong emperor said to have been buried here. The story has been repeated so often that it forms part of the site's presentation, but the historical detail is disputed, and the tomb is properly the burial place of the Abakh Hoja family. It is worth being aware of the difference between the popular account and the monument's own history.
Visiting
The tomb is a short drive or bus ride from central Kashgar and is usually visited along with the old town, the Id Kah Mosque and the Sunday livestock market. There is an entrance fee, and the site is busiest in the middle of the day when tour groups arrive; early morning or late afternoon are quieter and better for the light on the tiles. Allow about an hour, and dress modestly, since this is a religious site as well as an architectural one.
