Han Irik: Monday Market

Though the Sunday Market in Kashgar is the largest and most famous, to catch a glimpse of Uyghur culture that is still relatively untouched by the hand of modernity, the rural village markets are a must.

About 45 kilometers to the south east of Kashgar is the small village of Han Irik, which lies on the outskirts of the desert and is home to a Monday market famed for its cows and donkeys, though when we were there, sheep seemed to rule supreme in comparison to other livestock.

Five kilometers or so from the market, the two-lane, poplar lined highway begins to fill up with motorbikes and donkey carts piled with people, sheep, chickens and anything else that can be sold at the market. The number of donkey carts far outnumbers cars or busses on the approach to the village; the speed of traffic slows to match their pace.

Once there, a myriad of goods and services are for sale or open for negotiations as, for all Uyghurs, haggling seems to be a pastime akin to baseball in America or football in the UK. Anything from superglue to twine, farm equipment to pigeons, or cats to carpets are offered up for sale at the open air stalls that comprise the market, which lays just off the side of the highway.

A main attraction of the market is the barbers who come to provide their services to the local farmers. With straight razors, heads are given a close shave while scissors trim mustaches and beards.

Throughout the market, smoke and steam rise from the wood burning stoves and pots on the fire respectively as vendors make handmade noodles or prepare cow head soup, manta (steamed meat dumpling) samsa (baked meat pie), polo, roasted mutton, chickpeas, fried fish and a host of other foods for the farmers and their families.

“Kassa!” (come in!) can be heard echoing throughout as sellers invite potential customers to their restaurant or stall.

Though famed for its cows and donkeys, the cash cow of the Han Irik Monday Market is the sheep, with a high-quality breeder sheep bringing in as much as 1-2 million RMB, or roughly about 167,000 USD.

That may seem a pretty penny for an animal with the lifespan of around 8 – 11 years. However, when you see the countless mutton stalls both at the market in Han Irik and on the streets of Kashgar where butchers are known to make 3,000 RMB a day (500 USD), the high asking price begins to seem less steep.

Also popular in the market are donkeys which, for many of the farmers serve not only as work animals for the field but also as their primary method of transportation. They are strong, relatively fast and eat less than horses making them, at a going price of anywhere between 2000 and 3000 RMB (330 – 500 USD), an economical and efficient choice.

The market is not only a place for commerce but for gossiping, mingling and catching up with family and friends. It is at the very heart of the Uyghur traditional way of life and it’s fortunate that these pockets of culture still exist relatively uninfluenced and untouched.

The Uyghurs have a phrase, “de khan”, which roughly translates to “farmer king” in English. It refers to people who are free from the toils of city life; they are their own masters and rich from the fruits of their labors.  A visit to the Han Irik market begins to show you that wealth has many faces and does not always come in the form of iPhones, designer clothes or advertising but in family, culture, community and, of course, sheep.