Decoding Kashgar

This paper shows the progress of an ongoing digital heritage research focusing on Kashgar, a unique historical city in the westernmost part of China. The project aims to decode intangible heritage with the help of tangible characteristics representing Kashgar architecture. Narrow alleyways of Kashgar accommodate multifunctional usage formed by the local distinctive culture. The presented study follows a `research through design methodology'. The interpretation of the heritage information is a game design that feeds research. Through an architectural game alternative agglomerations are generated that employ `design-grammars' developed on the basis of Kashgar's architecture and vivid street life. The study reveals the first step of photogrammetry documentations and aerial views of a specific part of Kashgar's old town, `Gaotai' (Kozichiyar Beshi).