Even in Marco Polo’s day, this oasis city’s streets thronged with merchants and traders. “There are a good number of town and villages, but the greatest and finest is Cascar [Kashgar] itself. Inhabitants live by trade and handicrafts […]From this country many merchants go forth about the world on trading journeys.” The Travels of Marco Polo, Vol 1, Bk 1, Ch 33. Kashgar, Xinjiang, China