喀什 is the Mandarin transliteration of the Uyghur city name "Kashgar" (Uyghur: قەشقەر / Qeshqer), shortened from
喀什噶尔 (Kāshígá'ěr). It sits at the western end of the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang and was a major hub on the ancient Silk Road, the meeting point of Persian, Indian, and Chinese trade routes. The Old City (
喀什老城) and Id Kah Mosque (
艾提尕尔清真寺) are its most iconic landmarks.