Demolitions in Kashgar

In the ancient Silk Road trading city of Kashgar, the government of China plans to level about 85% of the oldest mud-brick buildings in the Old City and build earthquake-resistant buildings, apartment buildings, public plazas and schools. Many of the 13,000 families are being moved. Relocation and demolition began in July 2009. 

The media has reported dissatisfaction with the planned changes and suspicion that they are designed to repress separatist protests in the largely Uyghur community. The UNESCO World Heritage Foundation called Kashgar’s Old City one of the “best preserved examples of a traditional Islamic city.”