Mausoleums of Yarkant

To Yarkant by train

Today I do my first of five train trips that I’ve booked, the first of which is from Kashgar to Yarkant (Shache), a journey of 2h20 starting at 0950.

I didn’t get to have the hotel breakfast with this early start, which is unofficially 0750 locally.  In fact, it was the first time I’ve felt the early morning since I’ve had an indoor room for 4 nights in Kashgar.

I took a taxi to the station but needed a police check to enter, after having been given a little stamped clearance slip.  Locals just enter using their national ID card.

Again, boarding was a hassle being a foreigner as I had to be manually validated whereas locals just tap their national ID which is checked against the booking records for that departure.

The green train, externally, reminded me of my Trans-Mongolian journey 19 years ago.  On board this train operating from Kashgar to Urumqi was the hard seat section where I was seated and sleeper carriages.  The hard seats were firmly padded but very upright.  Fine for short trips.

Taklamakan Desert from the train.

Upon arrival, while everyone tapped their national ID to exit the station, I had to wait for manual assistance.  A policeman was summoned to question me about my travel intentions as well.  This is something I got used to with every train trip in Xinjiang.

There were no takers on the Didi app to take me to the Shache Peninsula Hotel by a small lake, not in the centre of town.  So, I took a taxi, and it was all very easy.

Yarkant’s mausoleums

After a rest in the large nicely furnished (but poorly finished) room and late lunch next door, I took a taxi to the mausoleums in the centre of town.  The city seemed dusty as we’re near the Taklamakan Desert.

First up was the Mausoleum of Ammanisahan, queen and musician, from the 16^th century.  Further along inside the complex was a less grand mausoleum of her husband and king, Sultan Sayid Khan, surrounded by intricately inscribed graves of others.

There was a mosque adjoining the mausoleum but was outside the ticketed area.  I tried paying a visit but was not allowed to.  The sign said in Uyghur that visitors were OK but in Chinese, it said the opposite.

Across the road was a large Islamic-looking complex (Intangible Cultural Heritage Expo Park) which I couldn’t decide was new or over-restored.  It was closed until further notice for the refurbishment of electrical works.

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Old neighbourhood

I decided to take a walk in the neighbourhood near the mausoleum.  It gave a more authentic feel than Kashgar’s old recreated old city, with its mix of restored and old buildings some of which sold everyday items rather than touristy gifts.

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As it was nearly 1800, I had missed the museum and another recommended sight looked too fake and recreated.  I took a taxi back to the hotel with some fruit and a snack for supper.

Over it

After the highlight of the Pamir/Wakhan adventure, I’ve lost my oomph a bit.  I was starting to regret buying my confirmed Air China super-cheap ticket from Urumqi to Beijing to Auckland (for the same price as Urumqi to Beijing).

I’m now stuck with it whereas if I had stuck with my original plan of standby (for about NZD100 less), I would be free to cancel all my upcoming plans and hop on the flight to Auckland ASAP.

At the planning stage, it felt like the right thing to see more of Xinjiang’s remote corners while over here, as it is a long way to come back.  The unfortunate thing is that these places are so developed now they hardly feel remote.