Kashgar or Kashi (Chinese: 喀什, pinyin: Kāshí, Uyg. قەشقەر, Қәshқәр) is an urban county in the Kashgar city district of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China.

Geography and Economics
Kashgaria is a loess oasis in the extreme west of the Tarim Basin. To the east of the city is the desert, to the west is the highlands. The climate is extremely dry, the amount of precipitation per year does not exceed 100 mm, and they fall on the hottest months of summer. Water comes from the Kashgar River and numerous wells.
Kashgar is located where the spurs of the Tien Shan and Kunlun converge, at the foot of the Pamir Mountains. The land here is very fertile, it produces not only cereals, but also cotton, as well as various fruits. Kashgar carpets are in demand all over the world. Copper ore is mined in the vicinity of the city.
Among the city attractions are Id Kakh, the largest mosque in China (founded in the 8th century, rebuilt in 1442), the mausoleum of the Kashgar ruler Abakh Khoja and his granddaughter Iparkhan (17th century) and a giant statue of Mao Zedong.

History
Antiquity
Over the centuries, Kashgar changed hands many times, falling under the rule of the Chinese Empire, the Turkic Khaganate, the Persian and Mongol empires, and the Tibetan theocracy.
In the 1st century BC e. Kashgar, along with other states of the region, found itself in the zone of interests of the Chinese Han Empire. Chinese diplomats called Kashgar “Shule” (疏勒), although the local name Quisha (佉沙, corrupted “Kashgar”) has also been known since Tang times. The city was located 9350 li from Chang’an. 1510 families lived in it, 18,647 inhabitants, of which 2,000 were soldiers.
Chinese administration: 8 officials and 2 translators. Economy: markets, trade routes to Central Asia. They grow rice, millet, sesame, wheat. Iron, copper, tin, orpiment are mined. 500 Chinese soldiers from Dunhuang and contingents of Cheshis, Karashars and Kuchans were sent to Kashgar. The siege of Kashgar was unsuccessful.
In the 1st century A.D. e. Kashgar had grown to include 21,000 families and 30,000 troops. In 73, the Kuchas installed Douti (兜题) as the prince of Kashgar. In the winter of the same year, Ban Chao appointed Zhong (忠), a Harasharian prince, but he rebelled and was beheaded. In 116, the Yuezhi protege Chenpan (臣磐) became the prince. He soon began to faithfully serve the Han. In 168 he was killed while hunting by his relative Hede (和得). In 170, 30,500 Han and allied warriors besieged Kashgar to avenge killing Chengpan, but failed to take him. Subsequently, the Chinese dealt with their internal difficulties, and in Kashgar the princes began to change frequently due to assassinations and coups. The princes wore a crown with the image of a lion. As a result, they became tributaries of the Turkic Khaganate.
In 465, the Kashgarians sent to the court of Tuoba Juan (a major patron of Buddhism) the “Shakyamuni robe” – allegedly 20 cubits of monastic clothes that belonged to the Buddha.
From the Tang chronicles it is known that in Kashgar there was a custom to deform the skulls of male babies. The inhabitants are tall and light-eyed. Ruled by Rad Pai (裴). At the beginning of the 7th century, the prince was Pai Amochzhi, married to the daughter of the Turkic kagan. They worship a spirit called “Xian” (祅, corruption of Ohrmazd). On the other hand, Buddhism is widespread. They use Indian script.
From 635, diplomatic relations were established with the Tang dynasty. In 676-678 Kashgar was briefly conquered by the Tibetan Empire. In 728, Wang Anding (安定) was confirmed on the throne by the orders of Emperor Xuanzong.

Middle Ages
В Middle Ages Кашгар был важнейшим торговым пунктом на Великом шёлковом пути, откуда шли караваны на запад (в Ферганскую долину), юг (Джамму и Кашмир) и север (Урумчи и Турфан). Until the II century. BC e. The Yuezhi owned the oasis, followed by the Turks, Uyghurs, Kara-Kitais and Mongols. In the 1st century BC e. – I century. n. e. and in the 7th-8th centuries. местные князья были данниками китайских династий Хань и Таn. In 1273, Marco Polo visited here and noted the presence of Nestorian churches in the city.
At the end of the XIV century, a heavy blow to the well-being of the oasis was dealt by the attack of Timur, after which the Islamization of the local population intensified.

new time
In 1755, Kashgar found itself under the control of the Qing Empire. In 1862, the Muslim population of Kashgaria rebelled against the Qing rule, and Mohammed Yakub bek Badaulet placed the capital of his possessions here. After his death, the oasis returned under the hand of the bogdykhan. Until 1918, the post office of the Russian Empire (Russian Post in China) was located in Kashgar.
После Синьхайской революции административная единица «Кашгарский маршрут» (喀什噶尔道) была преобразована в Кашгарский административный райоn.
The last uprising of Kashgar Muslims against the Beijing authorities lasted from 1928 to 1937. In 1933-1934. Kashgar was the capital of the Islamic Republic of East Turkestan, which has not received international recognition. A capital district was formed on the basis of the Kashgar administrative region. In 1937, the uprising was suppressed with the help of the USSR.
In 1943, the Kashgar administrative region was divided into District No. 3 (新疆第三行政区) centered in Kashgar and District No. 10 (Yarkand). After the formation of the PRC (1949), the Kashgar Special Region and the Yarkand Special Region were established. In October 1952, Kashgar City County (喀什市) was established as part of the Kashgar Special Region. In 1956, the Yarkand Special Region was disbanded, and its lands became part of the Kashgar Special Region. In January 1971, the Kashgar Special Region became the Kashgar District.
In 2008, a terrorist attack took place in the city. 16 police officers were killed.
In 2011, 24 people were killed in a two-day battle with Uyghur rebels.
In 2012, 10 people were stabbed to death in the city’s market. Uyghur fighters slaughtered representatives of the Han nation with knives.

Meaning in culture
It is the center of the Uighur culture and one of the centers of culture of Central and Central Asia. The city of Kashgar was used in Severance: Blade of Darkness as the holy city of the barbarians and the starting location for the barbarian protagonist.