Though many Han Chinese prefer to think of this as the tomb of Xiangfei, aka "the Fragrant Concubine," a Uighur beauty who was forced into a marriage with the Qing Dynasty Emperor Qianlong after having participated in resistance to imperial rule, the local Uighur highlight the family tomb's patriarch and namesake, Abakh Hoja, once a popular ruler of Kashgar.

Xiangfei, known as ikparhan in Uighur, plays a fascinating cultural and historical double role, representing Uighur resistance to and autonomy from far-away Beijing on one hand, while representing a brave anti-Qing stance familiar to Chinese who have grown up with all of the propagandistic trappings of Chinese Communism. It doesn't hurt that, so the story goes, she died in dramatic fashion, having been driven to suicide by the emperor's hateful mother.

The building itself is quite striking, despite a degree of dilapidation. Situated some 8 km outside of town, it sits peacefully in the midst of poplars and pines. Faced with multi-colored tiles and fitted with four minarets and a dome, the building, built in the 17th century and restored in 1807, inters 70 members of the Abakh Hoja family in addition to the patriarch and his famed granddaughter.