Our Kuqa tour guide took us into the heart of the town.  We visited the most popular mosque which was also built in the 15th century.

We even got to enter the prayer hall between prayer sessions.

We found this little girl wandering around the mosque.  She was very cute but shy!

Just outside of the mosque was Kuqa’s bazaar.  It was mostly filled with everyday objects, not so much touristy items.  Since most of the women in this region are Muslim, they wear head scarves.  As you can imagine, there were scarf shops everywhere! Everywhere! It was fascinating to walk around and be a part of the buzz in the bazaar.

I even enjoyed some nice local “ice cream” in this adorable cup!

Look out for part two in which I go hiking in the Tian Shan mountains!