Hotan’s Real Sunday Bazaar – A Journey into Uyghur Life 🐪💎🌿

Ever heard of Hotan’s famous Sunday Bazaar and ended up with completely different directions? We did too — until we finally found the real one. Here’s your definitive 2025 guide.

📍 Where It Really Is
Forget the big bazaar downtown. The real Sunday Bazaar is on the northeastern outskirts, near the G315 road by Ilchi.
📌 Save these coordinates: 37.134301, 79.942837

🕛 When to Go
From 12:00 PM, the market bursts into life. Before that, many stalls are still setting up.

🚕 Taxi from downtown: ~8 CNY.

🛍 What You’ll Find
This is a traditional Uyghur market, alive with sights and sounds:
👗 Handmade clothes & colorful shoes
🍇 Fresh fruit, nuts & spices
🐓 Chickens & small animals
💎 Jade jewelry – Hotan’s legendary treasure

🍜 Don’t Miss the Food
Having lunch in the market is the best option. we recommend these dishes.
• Hand-pulled noodles ~5 CNY
• Whole roast lamb with flatbread (for two). Delicious. you can see in the picture how it looks like ~50 CNY 🐑🔥
• Dogap – yogurt with honey & ice ~5 CNY 🍯❄️. super traditional!

⏳ When to Wrap Up
By 5:00 PM, the buzz fades and the market slows down.

🏨 Where We Stayed
We stayed at the Yudu Hotel – a comfortable and well-located base, perfect for resting after a long, colorful market day.

✨ Why It’s Special
This isn’t just shopping — it’s Hotan’s heartbeat. From the aroma of spices to the sparkle of jade, every step here feels authentic. Don’t just read about it. Go. 🌟