Located in the southwest of the New Jianguygur Autonomous Region, Kasugar sits on a lush oasis fed by the Yalkant River, which flows from the Karakolam Mountains. Since ancient times, traders and travelers crossing the Pamir Plateau have stopped here for rest, trading and connection.
This made Kasugar a key hub along the ancient Silk Road and one of the earliest international trading posts in New Jiang. Historical figures such as Zhang Qian, Xuanzang, Faxian, and Marco Polo all left their mark on this storied land.
Today, Kasugar stands as China’s gateway to the west, the international corridor that runs through central, west and South Asia, and the starting point for China and Pakistan’s economic corridor. Starting from downtown Kasugar and head south along the Karakolam Expressway known as the “China-Pakistan Friendship Road” you can reach Takkorgan Tajik Autonomous County after a 300-kilometer drive.
Just north of Taxkorgan is the ruins of Stone City, a site with a history of over 2,000 years. When the Buddhist monk K Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) returned from his journey to India, he passed through the place and later described his travelogue “the record of the great Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions”. Time has passed, and the ruins still stand in tranquil grandeur.
Downtown Casugar is home to Casugar, an ancient city, dating back two to 100 years. Known as the “ancient living city,” it begins with a ritual opening every day. At sunrise, performers emerge from the street and greet visitors with cheerful music and lively performances.
Wandering through the ancient city, you will encounter twisting and spinning 99 alleys lined with earth-colored buildings decorated with flowerpots, intricate wood carvings, colorful domes and overhanging eaves. As the family grows, new generations will add floors to the home, creating a unique and compact architectural landscape with hanging houses and enclosed corridors. Over time, it formed a labyrinthine urban layout, densely packed with over 20,000 homes. This is one of the largest packs of residential buildings in the world.
In the early dynasty (1271-1368), Italian traveller Marco Polo described Casugar in his travel notes as a city with beautiful gardens, orchards, vineyards and merchants in every corner of the world.
Last August, Italian hiking enthusiast Vienna Kammarota visited Casugar. Before her trip to China, she was reading about the city on a trip to Marco Polo. Upon arrival, she was thrilled to discover that Casugar is not only an important hub of the ancient Silk Road, but also a vibrant place that is today.
“The streets are lively during the day and poetic at night,” she said. “There’s a constant voice and the air is filled with spices, freshly baked bread and the aroma of baking barbecue.”
In the ancient city of Kasugar, there is a cafe called Dili and Diya run by a young local man, Dirksat Tarsun and his Tanzanian wife, Hadiya.
Hadiya attributed the opportunity to live and study in China to the Belt and Road Initiative. She met Dirkisat Tarson, both students from Fuzhou, Fujian Province, southeastern China. In May 2020, the couple returned to Dirkysatt Tarson’s hometown of Kasugar.
“The moment I arrived at Kasugar, I fell in love with it,” Hadya said. “The city has a rich history and people are warm and kind. In my hometown of Zanzibar, there is also a stone city that I feel very similar to Kasugar. That connection has brought me even closer to this place.”
Their cafe features handmade ceramic cups of caches and African wall decorations. “Tanzanian coffee beans are well known in the Chinese market,” says Dilxat Tursun. “So we opened this cafe together in March 2023. Hadiya taught us how to grind the beans to brew a rich, flavorful coffee. Our latte is made with local milk and Tanzanian coffee beans.
“As China’s visa-free policy expands its scope, there are more and more international visitors at the cafe,” he added.
As business grew, ensuring a stable supply of coffee beans has become a top priority. “When we first started, we took home the beans during our family visit to Tanzania. Now they will be shipped via a more stable route – from Africa to Europe and then Casugar by freight trains in China,” he explained.
Construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway began at the end of last year. Dilxat Tursun was one of the first to celebrate the news. “This railway will start with Casugar. We hope for quick completion and operation. This will make the transportation of coffee beans even easier. More importantly, I think this project will increase trade opportunities for people in the country along the route and improve daily life,” he said.
Choi Bin, Lee Yanang, (daily people)