A beggar at the Kashgar Night Market:

Yes, don’t fret, I gave the beggar some money…

When approaching the area, one can usually hear Kashgar’s Night Market before they can see it. Granted, we were visiting during Ramadan and so activity was particularly boisterous at sunset when the fast was broken, but I have it on good authority that the market is always bustling.

Approaching the epicenter of the market, which is to be found across the street from the Id Kah Mosque:

I’m not sure if it is always like this, but the crowded center of the market was devoted exclusively to food when we were there:

I believe that white mound was yogurt:

The below is offal stew — its main ingredient is usually advertised by a goat head perched atop giant, bubbling cauldrons:

Plenty of ice as well – an important consideration in keeping food fresh in one of the hottest parts of the world:

Exploring the market:

As you can see from the Uighur woman in the skirt and the number of women that aren’t wearing headscarves, the Uighurs are pretty easygoing about their religion as opposed to versions of Islam found in the tribal areas of Pakistan or Somalia or in Afghanistan:

I’m not sure how things are arranged when Ramadan is not in full swing, but as I mentioned above, every night that we were in Kashgar, food was at the center of the Night Market. Other items – such as clothing or shoes – were on the fringes of the market:

But whether we were on the fringes of the market or right in the center, countless numbers of people offered us food or invited us to join them: