KASHGAR. The city of Kashgar was founded A.D. 1513 by Mirza Abubakr. Kashgar State, in 1877, was estimated by Sir D. Forsyth to have 145,000 houses, with 1,015,000 inhabitants.
Khotan, . . . 129,500 Kara Shahr, . . 56,000 Yarkand, . . 224,000 Turfan, . . . . 126,000 Yangi Hissar, . . 56,000 Lob, Kashgar, . . 112,000 Maralbashi, . . 35,000 Ush Turfan, . . 14,000 Sarighkol, . . 17,500 Akan, . . . . 84,000 Kirghiz,. . 21,000 Kuala, . . . . 42,000 Pairhpuluk, . 14,000 Kuria, . . . . 14,000 Kash gar, also called Eastern Turkestan, is known to the Russians as the Yatti-Shahr or seven cities. Its northern boundary is the Tian Shan mountains, its southern is formed by the Konen Lun and Kara korum mountains ; to the east its limit is the shifting sand of the Gobi desert, and the eastern slopes of the Pamir plateau bound it on the west, the enclosed area being about 1000 miles from north to south and 500 from east to west, cover ing 243,750 square miles, the greater part of which is uninhabited waste. In 1876 it was under a ruler styled Atalik Ghazi. The Chinese have held it, and called the country north of the Tian Shan mountains Tian-shan-peh-lu, or the way north of the Celestial Mountains, and known to the Mongols as Zanghar, whence the Zangaria of European writers. The country to the south was called Tian-shan-nan-lu, or the way south of the Celestial Mountains, or Kashgar, whence the term Kashgaria. Time rivers of the valleys converge to form four main streams, the Khotan, the Yarkand, the Kashgar, and the Aksu rivers, used for pur poses of irrigation. They unite and form the Tarim river, to the south of Aksu. The desert is a vast undulating plain of sand, sloping gradually to the eastward, through which the rivers flow. The banks are fringed by thickets, in which lurk the tiger, wolf, leopard, and lynx. Eastward the Tarim river spreads over the surface, forming lagoons and marshes, and again flows in a clear channel until it .reaches Lake Lob, on the edge of the Gobi desert. The desert sand has already buried the ancient cities of Lob and Katak. Each little state of Kashgar, Khotan, Yarkand, Yangi Hissar, Kashgar, Ush Turfan, Aksu, Kucha, Kuria, Karashahr, and Turfan has its own peculiarities of dialect and social customs.
Chinese Kashgar is one of the district towns in the province of Nan-lu (southern country), and may be said to have enjoyed, ever since the days of the Ptolemies, great repute for caravans, parti cularly through its extensive tea trade. Kashgar stands in the same relation to Central Asia that Kiakhta does to Siberia, and Shanghai and Canton to other European nations. This town, moreover, is famed in the east for the glowing charms of its chid:ens,' young women, with whom the tra veller may readily form an alliance for a certain number of years, or for the period of his stay, be it longer or shorter. Owing to these attractions, Kashgar is the resort of Asiatic merchants from all parts of the continent. Ilere can be met the Tibetan with the Persian, the Hindu with the Volga Tartar, Afghans, Armenians, Jews, gypsies, and runaway Siberian Cossacks.
Kashgar is one of the largest towns of Eastern Turkestan ; it contains 16,000 houses, is situated between the rivers Kizyl and Turnen, surrounded by a clay wall six fathoms high, about ten arshines thick at its foundation, and five at the top, and about eight miles (twelve versts) in circumference. It is defended by six towers. The town has two gates, on the eastern and south-western sides ; the first is called Suv-Daysa, the second Kum-Daysa (sandy).
Appak - Hodja was much esteemed by the people ; the high reputation of the teacher and saint attracted to Kashgar the Musalman youth of the east, who were eager to follow his foot steps in the path of sanctity ; and many rulers of Manero-lunahar even were numbered among his scholars. His tomb at Kashgar to this day attracts many pilgrims from various Musalman countries ; and the Eastern Turkestani, who regard him as their own peculiar patron, call upon his name in moments of peril.
Galdau conquered Little Bokhara in 1678, and appointed Appak his viceroy, with Yarkand for his capital. The family of the Kashgar Khan was carried by Galdan into captivity in the Ili region, and settled in the Musalman town of Kuldja.— Russians in Central Asia, Capt. ralikhanof and M. Femukof, pp. 51, 149, 168 ; Bellew.