Before visiting, everything I knew about Kashgar in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region I learned from a few books and photos. I was most moved by one picture in particular, in which a group of seemingly rural men lined up for the photo in front of Id Kah Mosque.

In the Uygur language, Kashgar means “place of jade.” Tucked in the westernmost tip of China, the city is over two millennia old, and was once a key stop along the ancient Silk Road. From the time of the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C. – A.D. 24) all the way up to the early Qing (1644-1911), Kashgar was a regional political, economic, cultural, military, and religious hub. Some say that one can never experience “real” Xinjiang without visiting Kashgar and breathing in its unique and mysterious architecture, bazaars, relics, ruins, and handicrafts. I wanted a taste of the real Xinjiang, so I went to Kashgar.

When walking down the street, I already felt immersed in strong Xinjiang flavor. The first thing I saw was that advertisements were in both Uygur and Chinese languages. Although I couldn’t understand conversations I overheard along the way, I still enjoyed feeling the rhythm and charm of their speech. Shops and mills lining the old-fashioned street filled the air with their busy noises as smoke rising from vendors slinging roasted mutton kebabs delivered the aroma to passersby. Amidst the eateries were shops offering a wide variety of local handicrafts of jade, bronze, and wooden wares. It was particularly fascinating to watch Uygur artisans at work, carefully crafting traditional musical instruments.

During my stay, I was frequently told to visit the ancient township of Gaotai, where people still live in dried-brick dwellings from the Middle Ages. There, the arrangement of houses was dictated by the terrain, and the lanes were linked with narrow alleys. I could have gotten lost in the intricate maze, if not for frequently passing small mosques, whose domed roofs towered over the rest of the houses to help guide my way.

It was not uncommon to pass elderly people relaxing in the gateways and nodding off. The locals were warm and hospitable. Kids ran around barefoot, and whenever they spotted a camera, their eyes would light up as they flock to the visitor to say “hello.” They would pose in front of the camera and insist on a group photo before running away in giggly exuberance.

I later learned that in 2006, Kashgar was used as a shooting location for scenes taking place in Kabul, Afghanistan, for the film The Kite Runner. It was chosen for its remarkable visual resemblance to the Afghani capital.