Top, part of the old Kashgar which has escaped the bulldozers, for now. Behind, the future – huge concrete tower blocks in which the Chinese government is rehousing local people. Above, typical of the local vernacular houses, most of which will soon have been lost. Right, a Uighur woman manages to hang on to traditional life, for a few days longer
composition of the town has always been complex. Chinese, Tibetans, Central Asians have all vied for supremacy at some point over the past 2,000 years. Genghis Khan and Tamerlane plundered Kashgar. Islam, Persian mysticism and Buddhism took root. The 20th century brought bloodshed, with sundry regional variations of Soviet-style communism and nationalism fighting it out for control of a strategically important region rich in oil and minerals. Afghanistan is but a short flight away. In themiddle of this all are the Uighur, for 1,300
years the dominant ethnic group in the Kashgar region and beyond. Originally a Turkic people who lived in Siberia, the Uighur converted to Islam in the 10th century. Fiercely independent, some Uighur have been pressing to break away from China. In 2009 and again this year fighting has broken out in Kashgar between Chinese and Uighur groups. By the time the bulldozers’ work is complete, an
64 Cornerstone, Vol 32, No 3 2011
THE DEMOLITIONS IN KASHGAR IS
‘THE STATED AIM OF
BELIEVE THE REASON IS ENFORCED CULTURAL
DON’T SEE IT QUITE LIKE THAT… MANY
MODERNISATION. BUT THE UIGHURS
ASSIMILATION AND STATE CONTROL’
estimated 13,000 Uighur families will have been relocated from the old heart of Kashgar. In a grim echo of work carried out in Beijing and Shanghai, the stated aimof the demolitions in Kashgar ismodernisation. But the Uighurs don’t see it quite like that. Prised frombuildings that have served not only as homes as shops for centuries, but also as a bastion of Uighur identity, the real reason for the onslaught on their indigenous traditional architecture is, many believe, enforced cultural assimilation and state control. For nearly a decade, UNESCOworking groups
have been exploring the possibility of enshrining the Silk Road settlements within a single World Heritage designation. This is no easy task, since the various nations involved in the consultations include several volatile, or dictatorial, regimes. However, slow progress is being made. Sadly, this will be too late for old Kashgar. China has removed it from the list of sites for protection under UNESCO’s initiative.
CARLOS BARRIA/REUTERS
CARLOS BARRIA/REUTERS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112