YARKAND

Chinese (Wade-Giles romanization) Yeh-erh-ch'iang, or (Pinyin) Yarkant, oasis city in the Uighur Autonomous Region of Sinkiang, northwestern China. The city comprises several separate walled units, one of which is named Sha-ch'e and another Yarkand; both names have at times been used as general terms for the city as a whole and for the oasis. Yarkand is situated in an oasis watered by the Yarkand River at the western end of the Tarim River basin, southeast of Kashgar (K'a-shih), at the junction of roads to A-k'o-su (Aksu) to the northwest and to Ho-t'ien (Hotan, or Khotan) to the southeast. The roads form parts of the ancient northern and southern branches of the Silk Road through the Tarim Basin. Yarkand first came to the notice of the Chinese in the latter part of the 2nd century BC, when it was known as the kingdom of Sha-ch'e, commanding the route over the lofty Pamirs. At the end of the 1st century AD, weakened by warfare with its neighbours, Yarkand was taken by Chinese armies under Pan Ch'ao. During the T'ang dynasty (618907) it again began to emerge as an important place, after having been overshadowed by Karghalik to the south and by Kashgar to the northwest. It gained further prominence in the 12th and 13th centuries, becoming the chief base of the khanate of Chagatai (part of the Mongol empire). At the end of the 16th century Yarkand was riven by factional dissension and was eventually incorporated into the khanate of Kashgar. It was finally brought under Chinese control in the mid-18th century. The oasis covers some 1,240 square miles (3,210 square km) and is very fertile. It produces a variety of grain crops, as well as cotton, hemp, beans, fruit, and mulberry leaves for the local silk industry. Around the oasis there is extensive stock rearing, primarily of camels, horses, and sheep. The towns produce many handicrafts, such as fine cotton and silk textiles, carpets, and leather goods. The population of the oasis area includes a wide variety of peoples, among them Chinese (Han), Uighurs, Iranians, and some Indians. Pop. (1987 est.) 68,960.