Kashgar

Four thousand kilometers from Beijing, and over one thousand five hundred kilometers from the regional capital Urumqi, Kashgar is one of the most remote cities in the world. But until the early twentieth century it was known as the 'pivot' of central Asia, a key cog in the 'great game', and before that one of the principal way stations on the Silk Road. Today it remains one of the most complete historical urban centers in China and its celebrated Sunday Market is one of the most vibrant in central Asia. Still traditionally Muslim it is nonetheless home to countless migrants, and one of the most cosmopolitan cities in China. Now for the first time its history and character are celebrated in the photographs of one of Australia's most highly regarded photographers, accompanied by a deeply informed but readable text by two leading architectural and archeological students of the region, with a Chinese colleague.