Visit Guide to Grand Sunday Bazaar

The Kashgar Grand Sunday Bazaar is a vibrant market with a history dating back over a thousand years. It offers a fascinating glimpse into the region’s rich cultural heritage. Travellers are drawn to this bustling marketplace to experience its lively atmosphere, indulge in authentic Uyghur cuisine, discover traditional crafts and textiles, and immerse themselves in Central Asian cultures. Uyghur, Tajik, Kazakh and Chinese merchants converge to showcase their goods.

Getting There

The Grand Sunday Bazaar is located in the centre of Kasghar’s historic old town and is easily accessible on foot or via local transportation. It is a prominent and well-known market, making it relatively straightforward to find and navigate within Kashgar.

What to Expect

Visitors can meander through the maze of stalls, haggling for carpets, silk textiles, jewellery and spices, as well as sampling an array of street food, from sizzling lamb skewers to freshly baked naan bread. Also on Sundays, visitors shouldn’t miss the weekly Livestock Market, where farmers come to haggle over camels, horses, sheep, donkeys and sometimes even yaks.

History

The Kashgar Grand Sunday Bazaar has been a central hub for trade, commerce, and cultural exchange in the region for more than a thousand years. Its origins are traced back to the Silk Road era when Kashgar served as a vital trading post along the ancient trade routes. Over the centuries, the bazaar has evolved and expanded into the busy market it is today, where locals and travellers alike gather every Sunday.