Pictorial History of Kashgar's Id Kah Mosque (circa 1936)

Today I would like to begin a new photo series entitled "History in Pictures" to accompany the Picture of the Week series.  I was able to get my hands on a some great pictures taken back when explorers were roaming the south of Xinjiang (read my review on a book about these explorers) and I'm excited to share them on a bi-weekly basis.  First up...the Id Kah mosque.

Kashgar's Id Kah Mosque

The Id Kah mosque is one of the oldest and largest in all of China, dating all the way back to 1442.  It was severely damaged during China's Cultural Revolution but purportedly restored multiple times by the local government and declared a protected monument.  The pictures below were taken almost two decades before the CCP came to power and created the Xinjiang Autonomous Region.

This shot was taken in 1936 by an Englishman named Skrine who was traveling with Aurel Stein during his explorations in Xinjiang.  Skrine doesn't credit this as being the Id Kah mosque, however there is no other building in Kashgar even remotely similar in architecture like this.  A closer look reveals that when this shot was taken, the mosque wasn't covered in beautiful yellow tile like it is now and I believe that the film slide is backwards (the minaret should be on the right).

This picture, credited to an E. Techman, is confusing because it also claims to be taken in 1936.  Here you can see that the yellow tiles are present and the minaret is on the correct side.  Like the picture above, it seems as if a trading market is taking place as usual around the mosque.

Today the recognizable yellow tiles stand out against the trees which have grown in the courtyard over the past six decades.  The market next to the right-side minaret has been taken away to add more space for worshipers, which during the Muslim holidays can be quite a few (watch the amazing video of this festival here).  Since 1936 a lot has changed around the mosque and inside, but the face has amazingly stayed the same.