 Kashgar
Prefecture, 141,600 kilometers in total area, lies between
latitude 350 to 408 north and longitude 730 to 797 east
in the southern part of Xinjiang. The city of Kashgar,
a place of strategic importance in south Xinjiang, has
an area of 15 square kilometers with an average elevation
of 1289.5 meters. The city is located between latitude
395 to 295 north and longitude 756 to 764 east and lies
1,473 kilometers from the city of Urumqi.
Located in the plain climate zone with the clear four
seasons, Kashgar has a long summer and a short winter.
The annual mean temperature in Kashgar is 11.7 , with
the lowest temperature of -24.4 in January and the hottest
40.1 in July. The frost-free period averages 215 days.
Kashgar was called Shule in ancient times and has a
history of more than two thousand years. According to
the record of the Persian Epic, Afulabuseyav, an ancient
Tulan hero, established the capital of his kingdom here.
In the beginning of the Han Dynasty, it belonged to
the Zhuangpu Prefecture General's Office of the Hun.
In the latter half of the second century B.C., after
the Han Dynasty Emperor Wudi sent Zhang Qian as his
special envoy to the Western Region, Kashgar submitted
to the authorities of the Western Han Dynasty. During
the first century, Kashgar was the supreme headquarters
of Ban Chao, an imperial general who administered the
Western Region. But at the end of the Sui Dynasty and
at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, Kashgar had to
pay taxes and levies frequently to the Western Turkish
Khanate. During the reign of the Tang Dynasty Emperor
Taizong and afterwards, it was an important military
stronghold of the Tang government. Kashgar was one of
the four important towns in Anxi at the time; thus it
was made the seat of the Shule Superintendent's Office.
The Karakhanid Dynasty also established its capital
in Kashgar. Before Genghis Khan went on his western
expedition, Kashgar was the south capital of the Western
Liao Regime established by Khitans. After Khan's western
expedition was over, Kashgar became the fief of the
crown prince of Chagatai. During the reign of the Qing
Dynasty Emperor Qianlong, Kashgar became the seat of
government of the Kashgar Councilor of the Qing government.
Attractions
in Kashgar
Neighboring areas: Gansu province and Qinghai province,
Tibet Autonomous Region
Population: 200,000
Climate mainly
a continental climate; varied greatly with topography
as plain climate, desert climate and mountain climate;
frost-free period of 215 days
Average Temperature: 11.7 C
annually with the lowest of -24.4C
and the highest of 40.1C
Rainfall: 27 mm annually
Mountains: Mt. Kongur
Rivers: Yarhant River, Kashgar River |
Map
of China
