Through the dessert

On the road again: 540km to Hotan. The good message is, we had a car and no camels. After the first 2 hours we reached our first stop for today in Yengisar. Stephan was really eager to buy a uygur knife there. The rumors are saying that the best knife makers are located there.

kein billig Imitat    Die Werkstatt

Everyday in the week another production step in the knife making process is executed. Today was the riveting and gluing of the handles done. Unfortunately we haven't had the chance to watch the forging process of the hand made blades. Anyway nowadays a lot of the knifes are produced in a industrial process and are made of stainless steel. But who want to have something like this?

Messermacher    Messermacher
Schmelzofen    Messerklinge, vielleicht nicht hand geschmiedet

After finishing the knifes are put in a sheath and a nice looking box. It's hard to believe that the knifes are really made in the backyard of the shop ;-)

Uyguren Dolch    Messerauswahl

After long discussion with the shop owner Stephan decided to buy a really nice one for a quite reasonable price (see the next picture, it's the only one of it, more about the knife later). The blade is curved in a way to make it easy cutting down a sheep into nice pieces. The sales man explained exactly, how to do it. Now we're only missing a sheep. There are also offers for complete kitchen boxes, including a ax, knifes and chopper. Stephan really loved this shop.

Stephans Messer    Küchenset

The journey went on in direction of the dessert. All the field sin this area are watered by artificial water systems. The biggest portion of the people here are farmers, farming some rice, grain, fruits and vegetables. Due to the nice clima there are 2 harvests per year. And this is really a busy time for the farmers.

Ernte in Kashgar    ländlich zurück
Erntehelfer    Esel im Einsatz

We got told, that the farmers have their own land, which is usually too big for a single household to harvest, so all the neighbors are helping each other. Rumors says, there are very nice parties at the end of the harvest period.

Mittagspause beim Lauwei begaffen    Moderne hält Einzug

After another couple of hours we arrived in Yarkant. There are two pretty old mosques, the tomb of Amanni Shaham and some graveyards.

Alton Moschee    Xinjiangs next top model
und noch ein Model    ind einfach ein paar Rotzlöffel

The tomb of Amanni Shaham is very famous by the uygurs. Amanni was the wife of Arbdu Rushitiham. What, you don't know him? He's been the king of Yarkant in the 15th century. But this dos not explain the popularity of Ms. Amanni. What she did: she collected music until her early death in the age of 34 years. In sum she collected the "12 Mukamms" and preserved it for the people.

Amanni Shaham Grabmal    Amanni Kuppel
Amannis Sarg    Kuppeldecke im Grab

Even it wasn't Saturday the big cleaning was ongoing, carpets were rapped and aired. Maybe because of us tourists. We had the impression that not many of them are visiting in Yarkant.

Kehrwoche    Langnasen schauen

The Amanni tomb is part of a graveyard which also includes an mosque. There are also the tombs of some Sultans and so on but we frankly forgot about their history and names as it was a too big flood of information. Maybe we google it some other time and put int on line then.

Grabaussicht    Mausoleumskuppel

Tourists have to pay extra for the graveyard, just to make this point clear: don't forget to buy the ticket.

kleine Erinnerung    af dem Friedhof
mehr Fridehof    Ein Grab

Usually the tombs has no writing on it, who is buried there. The family knows it anyway and the rest mustn't know. Only the tombs of the real important people get a nice plate with the names. Sultan Arbdu Rushitiham is important enough as the husband of Amanni to get this privilege.

Sultan Arbdu Rushitiham    und sein Sarg
muslimische Muster    Grab details

Due to the heat (more than 35°C) we didn't recognize that were starving. But we're still missing our driver, Akba. No problem, we can walk to the restaurant. But where is he? Well, after some questions to Tudajim we found out, that he's at the local officials to get an stamp on one document which allows us to go to the province of Hotan. We'll meet him later, maybe.

Auf dem Weg zum Essen    Im Taubenrestaurant

Having yummie pigeons for lunch we only have on mosque left to visit before we can drive to the next city.

Alton Moschee    Alton Moschee

In the mosque it was forbidden to take pictures. Our guide Tudajim told us plenty of details and didn't stop to talk. And this we have to see and there we have to have a look on. Hmmm, the real reason for the very intense explanation was, that Akbe and the stamp were still missing.

VOr der Moschee    Nach dem Gebet

Lunch break at the gofernmental office, so it'll take at least another 30 minutes to get the stamp. Perfect, so we can stroll around the city.

Ein typischer Einwohner Yarkants    Beim Einkaufen
Obstverkauf und öffentlicher Fernsehraum    Moscheezinnen

One hour later we got the stamp and took of to the desert. We haven't been to the dessert before, well Stephan was once in Dubai but had no tour in to the dessert. Ok, then let's have a look to one. Just getting to the border of the dessert we were into a sand storm. Cool, that's how a dessert is.

Sandsturm im Anmarsch    im kleinen Sandsturm

After the sand storm it started raining. Raining? We just double checked with Akba, if he's sure we're on the right track. Usually a dessert is dry, hot and so on, isn't it? Seems everything is a bit different when we're traveling.

Wüstenregen    Wüste oder so

Hours later we after the rain stopped we got at least the dessert feeling. Not much sand but a lot of rocks.

Taklamakan Wüste, diesmal in Echt    Schneegebirge am Wüstenrand
Echte Wüste    Abendstimmung in der Wüste

After sun set it started getting real challenging on the street. Who needs a light, there's only a straight street and switching on the light would be a waste of energy. The small detail that the rain washed a lot of sand on the street is no real reason for switching the lights on. After Midnight we finally arrived at the hotel with nearly broken back bones, but this is as always another story......

Zahnarztwerbung

Dentists...
 
....are really good handraftsmen but lousy in advertising.....

Zahnarztwerbung

Zahnarztpraxis

Patient

Patientin

Patientin