The livestock market outside Kashgar is not a tourist attraction that happens to sell animals; it is a functioning agricultural market where Uyghur, Kyrgyz and Tajik herders and farmers from the surrounding oases and mountains trade stock. It is traditionally held on Sundays, and it starts early and finishes by around midday.
What happens
Animals arrive by truck, cart and on foot: sheep and goats in pens, cattle tied in lines, donkeys and mules parked in rows, and camels brought in from the drier country. Buyers walk the aisles, feel the animals, check teeth and hooves, and negotiate. Deals are closed with a handshake, sometimes through a broker called a dellal, and money changes hands on the spot. Beyond the pens there are food stalls, tea houses, blacksmiths, veterinarians and the people selling fodder and rope - a whole economy that exists because the animals are there.
How to visit
The market lies on the eastern edge of Kashgar and has moved site at least once in recent years, so confirm the current location and day with your hotel or driver before setting out. Go in the morning, from about 8.30 a.m., and plan to leave by 1 p.m. when it winds down. A car and driver for two or three hours is the practical arrangement. Bring small notes and small change; photography is generally welcome, but ask first, especially before photographing individuals or people at prayer.
Etiquette
This is a market, not a show. Do not get between a buyer and an animal, do not touch stock without asking, do not offer money to people in exchange for photos unless they propose it, and dress plainly. Children will often say hello and want their picture taken; adults are more likely to be working. Modest dress is appreciated throughout the region and is essential at the mosques.
Combining it
Sunday is also the day for the main bazaar in the old town, so a livestock-market morning followed by lunch and an afternoon in the lanes of the old city makes a natural full day. The Id Kah Mosque, the old town alleys and the handicraft workshops are all within walking distance of each other.
