Abakh Hoja Tomb (ā pà kè huò jiā mù 阿帕克霍加墓), commonly known among the Chinese as the Tomb of Xiangfei (xiāng fēi mù 香妃墓), is the most magnificent tomb in Kashi (kā shí 喀什), filled with history and symbolism. It served as the family tomb of Abakh Hoja, the powerful ruler of Kashi in the 17th century. 

Brief Introduction 

About 5 km northeast of Kashgar City, the Apak Hoja Tomb is a key cultural relic unit under the protection of the Autonomous Region. As a tomb of the descendants of an Islamic sage, it was built around 1640 AD. The legend has it that 72 persons in all of five generations of the same family were buried in the tomb. The first generation buried here was Yusup Hoja (yù sù fǔ huò jiā 玉素甫霍加), a celebrated Islam missionary. After he died, his oldest son Apak Hoja carried on the missionary work and became the chief of the Aktaglik Sect (yī chán pài 依禅派) of Islam during the seventeenth century and destroyed. Apak Hoja died in 1693 and was buried in the tomb. He had a reputation much more well-known than his father’s, so the tomb was called “Apak Hoja Tomb” by people after his times.

Structure

The tomb is a group of beautiful and magnificent buildings including the Tomb Hall, the Doctrine-Teaching Hall, the Great Hall of Prayer, the gate tower, a pond and orchard. The Tomb Hall, with a dome shaped top of 17 meters in diameter and covered with green glazed tile south side, is 26 meters high and 39 meters long at the base. The hall is high, spacious and columnless. Inside the hall, there is a high terrace on which the tombs are arranged. All the tombs are built of glazed bricks with very beautiful patterns of blue flowers on a white background, glittering, simple and elegant. The Great Hall of Prayer in the west part of the tomb, Ayitijiayi by name, is the place where the Muslim believers conduct service on big days. The Lesser Hall of Prayer and the gate tower are outmost buildings decorated with colorful paintings and elegant brick carvings. Outside the tomb there is a crystal-clear pond lined by tall trees, making the place pleasantly quiet and beautiful.

Legend

A legend goes that one of the descendants of Apak Hoja buried here was a lady named Ipar, who was one of the concubines of the Emperor Qianlong (qián lóng huáng dì 乾隆皇帝) of the Qing Dynasty (qīng cháo 清朝). Because of the rich scent of Russian olive flower from her body, she was called Xiangfei (Fragrant Imperial Concubine). After her death, her mortal remains was escorted back Kashigar (kā shí 喀什) and buried in the Apakhoja Tomb by Su Dexiang (sū dé xiāng 苏德香), her sister-in-law. So, the tomb was also called “Xiangfei Tomb”. However, according to textual research, Xiangfei was none other than Rongfei (róng fēi 容妃), a concubine of Emperor Qianlong, and she was actually buried in the East Tombs of the Qing Dynasty (qīng dōng ling 清东陵) in Zunhua County (zūn huà xiàn 遵化县), Hebei province (hé běi shěng 河北省) after she died.

How to get there

The Abakh Hoja Tomb is located five kilometers northeast of the city. It's best to go by bicycle or hire a taxi. If going by bicycle, go northeast past the Sunday Market area for about 30 to 40 minutes, then turn at the sign pointing towards the tomb.

Opening Hours: 8:00am-5:30pm

Admission Fee: CNY 15