Kashgar City was officially established in 1952. It is an important node city of the Belt and Road Initiative, the starting point of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the regional center of the Southern Xinjiang urban agglomeration, and a sub-center city of Xinjiang. It is a national historical and cultural city, a national open city, a national excellent tourism city, and a national model city for supporting the military and giving preferential treatment to families of servicemen. It is China's westernmost border city and the political, economic, and cultural center of the Kashgar region. A major commercial port on the Silk Road, a vital hub for East-West transportation, and an important crossroads of East-West economic, cultural, and civilizational exchange, Kashgar Laining International Airport is a first-class international air port. In October 2020, Kashgar City was named a national model city for supporting the military and giving preferential treatment to families of servicemen. In December 2025, Kashgar City was selected as a national ecological civilization construction demonstration zone for 2025.
Eid al-Fitr is known as "Festival of Breaking the Fast" in Islam worldwide. In Xinjiang, it is called Rouzi Festival.
Eid al-Adha, also known as the Festival of Sacrifice.
Nowruz, also translated as Nowruz Festival, meaning "Spring Ploughing Festival," is celebrated annually from March 20th to 22nd. The Nowruz ceremony begins at dawn on the 20th. Men, women, and children dress in their traditional costumes. The head of each household rises first and burns a pile of pine branches in the center of the house, circling the smoking branches over everyone's head as a wish for peace and happiness in the new year. Then, the head of the household takes the smoking branches to the entrance of the livestock pen, letting the animals pass through the smoke, praying for the livestock to be fat, healthy, and multiply rapidly in the new year. Following this, people prepare "Nowruz porridge," a thick porridge made from leftover grains and food, seasoned with various condiments. Starting at noon on that day, Uyghurs visit each other in groups to exchange New Year's greetings. After Nowruz, the busy spring planting season begins in rural areas. Nowruz is a festival celebrated in Iran and Central Asia (as well as among the Uyghur, Kazakh, Salar, Uzbek, Kyrgyz, and Tatar peoples of China). It is a festival to prepare for spring planting, greening, beautifying, and purifying the environment. The word "Nowruz" comes from ancient Iranian and means "day of spring rain." It corresponds to the 22nd day of the third month in the ancient Iranian solar calendar, which is March 22nd in the Gregorian calendar. This day is equivalent to the Spring Equinox in the Han Chinese calendar, hence Nowruz is also called the Spring Festival. Before converting to Islam, Iranians worshipped gods such as the sky god, sun god, moon god, star god, water god, earth god, fire god (hearth god), and ancestral gods. In their view, the star gods are the main gods who control human destiny and fortune, with Aries being one of the main gods who bring blessings to mankind, while Pisces is the source of disease for humans and animals. Therefore, the Iranian people celebrate Nowruz when Pisces descends and Aries rises, and they designate this day as their New Year.