The many faces of Kashgar

I have romantic images of the fabled Ancient Silk Road which I think has long since vanished. Most of central Kashgar, although sporting a Mosque built in 1422, looks like it has gone up in the last 30 years. There is the old town, but you need to go looking for it. It is not immediately apparent and some parts charge an entry fee!!!!  If there is one aspect of Kashgar the met my expectation of the ancient Silk Road, it was people's faces and their variety. The faces of Kashgar and their variety speak of a time when people from many far flung places passed though these parts, perhaps settled, or simply left their progeny. Ethnic Han Chinese are in the minority and the influence of Russians, Kazakhstanis, Indians, Pakistanis and are evident in this crossroads of Central Asia.