YOU ARE NOT ALOWED TO SLEEP HERE / 25.5. 2007

This clean city is 45 km north of Karashär. It looks like any x Chinese city of this size. Straight and broad streets – lined with streetlights of same design as in all other cities. White, curved with some decoration attached at the top. Very stalinesque…or should one say maoesque. A bit like coming to a shrine.. just take away the “a” and the “e” – mosque….This clean city is 45 km north of Karashär. It looks like any x Chinese city of this size. Straight and broad streets – lined with streetlights of same design as in all other cities. White, curved with some decoration attached at the top. Very stalinesque…or should one say maoesque. A bit like coming to a shrine.. just take away the “a” and the “e” – mosque….This clean city is 45 km north of Karashär. It looks like any x Chinese city of this size. Straight and broad streets – lined with streetlights of same design as in all other cities. White, curved with some decoration attached at the top. Very stalinesque…or should one say maoesque. A bit like coming to a shrine.. just take away the “a” and the “e” – mosque….This clean city is 45 km north of Karashär. It looks like any x Chinese city of this size. Straight and broad streets – lined with streetlights of same design as in all other cities. White, curved with some decoration attached at the top. Very stalinesque…or should one say maoesque. A bit like coming to a shrine.. just take away the “a” and the “e” – mosque….

Well, this is Muslim country – even if one would not believe it. But the local authorities have their own version of “sharia”. This clean city is not an area open for Dirty non-believers…Chinese I mean. This became very clear to us. Because…we had a call from dear Ayken while having dinner…after we had installed ourselves at the local hotel. Even our horses had occupied the hotel backyard. Very convenient. - we have a problem…I am at the police station…you are not allowed to stay in this town for the night. Karashär is ok. How far is Karashär (or Yanqi in Chinese) I asked. - Ah not far. Only fifty kilometers. I will fix some taxis.. We were all a bit surprised – because we were supposed to have permission for this area to. And later it became clear that our permission was ok for passing through. Not for staying the night. The horses could stay - because they were considered locals An hour and half - around midnight we check in for the second time … Karashär means “the black town” and it has been a city of great importance –in 11 AD this oasis town it revolted against the Chinese supremacy only to be hit by the famous Han dynasty General Ban Chao who destroyed the town by decapitating over 5000 inhabitants, taking away some 15.000 prisoners and over 300.000 head of livestock. Sven Hedin described this city in the late 19th century as “ the chief commercial emporium in that part of Chinese Turkestan….and the dirtiest town in all Central Asia…consisting of a countless number of miserable hovels, courtyards, bazaars, and Mongol tents surrounded by a wall” --- 5.7. 1907 “ The regular wall of the Chinese fortress is clearly visible from a distance. The Mohammedan town is a village like assembly of houses without a city wall. He Main Street is about 200 yards long. The shops are to be found along that street and a parallel side street, also the bazaar of minor size, is to be found here. The location is rather nice by the river – even though very few houses face the river. A Chinese temple, dedicated to the water God is also by the river, but sheltered by a wall so that evil Ghosts have no access. We settle in a Sarai, only a stone throw from the river – that has a nice cooling effect in this intensive heat. “ The next morning we went back to Heijing. The air was quite fresh after the night’s heavy rain. Our horses must have enjoyed the showers. That was what we thought anyway. Unfortunately our dear Horse had protected them by covering them with horse blankets…sigh. But the main thing was that we would soon be on horseback again – through the desert towards Turpan.

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