The Yarkand bazaar runs daily in the old quarter, with the main concentration in the lanes around the mosque and the Amanisahan complex. Unlike the more famous Kashgar Sunday Market, Yarkand's bazaar has not been extensively renovated or managed for tourism, which gives it a rawer character: the stalls are less ordered, the selection more varied, and the vendors less accustomed to foreign visitors.
The dried fruit stalls are exceptional, carrying varieties of fig, apricot, raisin, mulberry, and pomegranate that reflect the oasis agriculture of the Karakoram river valleys. The jade section sells Karakash River stone — darker in colour than the Hotan variety, more olive-green than white — alongside the polished Hotan pieces that travel along the southern Silk Road trade route. The carpet section has dealers selling Yarkand-made rugs that differ from the Kashgar style in their deeper reds and more strictly geometric patterns.
The livestock market on the edge of town operates on a schedule that varies by season; it remains one of the more authentic livestock trading events in the region, serving the farmers and herders of the surrounding valleys rather than tourist itineraries. Ask locally for timing.