Kashgar Old City Panorama | 160m View Over Eid Silk Road City | 360° Gigapixel Panorama

Kashgar: Heart of the Silk Road

Kashgar was the core commercial hub of the ancient Silk Road, with a 2,100-year history and more than ten ethnic groups — Uyghur, Han, Tajik, Kyrgyz — living side by side. Bordering the Pamir Plateau to the west and the Tarim Basin to the east, it was once the great crossroads where caravan bells converged from across Eurasia. Today, Kashgar Old City preserves one of the world's largest surviving complexes of earthen architecture, with approximately 40,000 residents still living inside its walls. In this 51-gigapixel panorama, every alley, every dwelling, and every square of this living Silk Road city is recorded in full detail, letting you soar above it like a bird.

An Eid al-Fitr Coincidence: The Mass Sama Dance

The shoot fell on Eid al-Fitr, the most important festival for the Uyghur people. In Xinjiang it is also called "Roza" — from the Persian word for "fasting" — marking the end of Ramadan. For the Uyghur, Eid al-Fitr is equivalent to the Chinese New Year, the most significant celebration of the year. On the morning of the festival, Muslims bathe, dress in their finest clothes, and gather at the mosque for communal prayers, after which they visit one another and give to the poor — hence the festival's alternate name, the "Festival of Charity." The most breathtaking scene that day unfolded at Id Kah Mosque square, where tens of thousands gathered to dance the Sama, a tradition spanning more than six centuries. Musicians climbed to the rooftop of the mosque, playing with such passion that every drumbeat drew a response from the dancing crowd, the entire square surging like waves. The Sama dance is a national intangible cultural heritage; the word "Sama" comes from Arabic, meaning "the firmament," and the dance evolved from ancient ritual ceremonies into the most spectacular collective celebration of festive life.

Kunlun Tower: 360° View Over the Ancient City

With coordination from the local cultural tourism bureau, the team climbed the still-unfinished Kashgar Kunlun Tower. Inspired by the snow lotus of the Kunlun Mountains, this landmark tower rises 169 meters and is the city's most iconic modern structure. The team set up equipment at 160 meters and shot in all directions, capturing 4,086 images that were stitched into a 51-gigapixel ultra-high-resolution panorama — comprehensively documenting the cityscape of Kashgar and the living scene of Eid al-Fitr.

The Old City Maze: Bricks as Code

Kashgar Old City has 2,100 years of history. As the city expanded bit by bit, its street network became a natural labyrinth. But locals are not lost — they left markers on the ground: hexagonal bricks or arrow-shaped bricks indicate a passable path, while flat bricks laid in straight lines mark a dead end. Zoom into this panorama and you can decipher these codes hidden at your feet. The most captivating thing is that Kashgar Old City is not a purely commercial street; about 40,000 residents still live inside. Walking through, you see carved wooden facades, traditional craft workshops, elders chatting on doorsteps, and children running through alleys — the purest experience of western Chinese life.

Silk Road Flavors: Food, Customs, and Daily Life

The warmth of Kashgar hides in every alley. The aroma of fresh naan drifts from street-side ovens, the rhythmic clinking of copper workshops echoes through narrow lanes, and in century-old teahouses, regulars sit around sipping brick tea to the melodies of the Muqam. Most unforgettable are the lamb skewers seasoned with absolutely nothing — at first bite they seem tasteless, but they are dangerously addictive; the more you eat, the more you crave. Polo (hand-grabbed rice) glows golden with carrots, onions, and lamb; baked samsa are crisp outside and tender within; and slow-cooked meat in a clay pot delivers pure, unadulterated flavor. Uyghur hospitality is legendary — during festivals, every household opens its doors, and a passerby may be invited in for tea and naan. Nowruz welcomes spring, Eid al-Adha brings the ritual slaughter of sheep, and Eid al-Fitr fills the streets with song and dance — through every season, this ancient city celebrates life at its own rhythm.

Restoration and Beyond: Craft, Aid, and Shared Prosperity

Looking south from the old city, you can see aged houses under construction — another section of the ancient city being restored. The difficulty far exceeds tearing down and rebuilding: workers must "restore the old as the old," preserving the original rammed-earth and timber structure while making the homes safe and convenient for modern living. Beyond the old city, modern buildings rise into view. Zoom in and you can read the words "Shandong Aid" and "Guangdong Aid" on their facades. These projects, funded by inland provinces, are a vivid testament to shared prosperity across the nation — schools, hospitals, and residential towers rising from the edge of the Gobi. At the city's outskirts, factories built with inland assistance provide local employment while sending Xinjiang's cotton, fruit, and specialty products to every corner of the country.

The Pamir Beyond: Snow Peaks on the Horizon

Cast your gaze to the far horizon, where the rolling snow peaks are the Pamir Plateau. Beyond those mountains lies Tajikistan. The Pamir was an essential passage on the ancient Silk Road, the "Roof of the World" in the hearts of countless merchants and explorers. In this 51-gigapixel panorama, the old city, the new districts, the snow mountains, and the distant border together form a complete picture of the Western Regions.

How to Explore

Begin at Id Kah Mosque square, zoom in to witness the mass Sama dance of Eid al-Fitr, and try to spot the musicians on the mosque rooftop. Then wander into the old city alleys, searching for hexagonal and arrow-shaped brick markers on the ground. Turn south to observe the restoration zone and the aid-built new districts in the distance. Finally, look toward the horizon to find the snow peaks of the Pamir Plateau. This panorama is full of the allure of Western Region exploration — what else will you discover?