The Id Kah Mosque is located on the central square in Kashgar City, Xinjiang Uigur Autonomous Region. ‘Id Kah’ means ‘a place of praying and celebrating in festivals’.
The Id Kah Mosque was built in 1442 as a very small structure. Several renovations and enlargements have created it with today’s scale and style. From south to north, the mosque is 140 meters long and 120 meters wide. The whole complex consists of the courtyard, the Hall of Prayer, and the gate tower and as well as some other attached structures. The mosque’s gate is a 12 meter-high square bricked arch. The main tower is light green-colored and is overspread by fine carved designs.
As long as it is not prayer time or religious holidays, tourists are allowed into the mosque. When you visit mosques, you should always remember that both men and women should always have their arms and legs fully covered. The best time to visit is probably early to mid-morning when there are few worshippers here.
As the center of religious activity in Kashgar, the area is typically full of pilgrims who have come to worship at the mosque. Sometimes, these pilgrims have religious activities right outside the temple, where they whip themselves into a frenzied dance accompanied by musicians playing from balconies of the Id Kah mosque.
The Grand Bazaar of Kashgar can be found by walking in a southwesterly direction from Id Kah Square. Other markets are also in the surrounding streets, such as a carpet market and a hat market.
