Kashgar is a town as steeped in tradition as it is history, politics, religion and trade. Evidence of this can be seen throughout the streets of the Old City where artisans craft their wares outside and within the walls of their shops, employing methods that have not changed for at least a hundred years.
As we approach one store, the sound of hammers announces the workshop of blacksmiths.
Inside the mud-brick walls, skilled smiths use sledgehammers to shape heated steel into the head of a hoe.
Farm tools make up the majority of what the blacksmiths produce. Much of their wares will be sold at the Sunday market as well as other smaller village markets that surround Kashgar.
In each workshop, one finds generations of blacksmiths working together: apprentices watch closely as young men sharpen axe heads while older, more experienced smiths are in charge of the ovens, hammers and anvils.
One of the remarkable things about Kashgar is just how deeply tradition runs through every aspect of the Uyghur way of life, from the markets and food to the making of tools.
Unfortunately, as with so many aspects of Uyghur culture, it’s preservation is an uphill battle against the influence of the East. Much of the Old City is set for demolition and the threat of change is around every corner.
Still, until that time, the living history that is the Old City of Kashgar is safe for another day and its traditions are allowed to be passed down from one generation to the next.
by FFrame
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