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This timeline is a supplement of the main article Uyghur. Dealing with the centuries between 400 and 900 AD, it refers to a critical period in the cultural formation of the Uyghur nation, as they transitioned from a minor Turkic tribe to the Uyghur Khaganate.
| Date | People | Event | Geopolitical Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| 546 | Bumin | Pre-emptively strikes a planned Töle revolt | Attempt of the vassal Turks to gain ascendancy over the vassal Gaoqu people |
| 560 | Muqan | Annexes Töle tribes under a federal system | Muqan demonstrates his qut by the submission of the Töle (i.e. the right of taxation over their livestock); resolves internal power struggle |
| 565 | Wu Chen-Di | Civil war divides the Wei Kingdom | Muqan demonstrates his qut by the submission of the Töle (i.e. the right of taxation over their livestock); resolves internal power struggle |
| 572 | Istämi | Divides Muqan's realm between his rival successors: Taspar-Qağan rules in the central region, Istämi-Yabgu in the far-west, Shetu in the east and Jotan in the west | Traditional power transfer from elder to younger brother, subsequently from youngest uncle to eldest nephew |
| 575 | Tardu | Takes power in far-west region | His father dies in Taraz |
| 575 | You-Zhou | Qi dynasty collapses | Qi = Eastern Wei, Rouran allies; Zhou = Western Wei, Turk allies |
| 578 | Taspar | Repeatedly raids the Zhou Kingdom | Under the influence of the Qi exiles |
| 578 | Wu-Di | Gives Taspar 100,000 bales of silk and the Princess Zhou Tsienkien | Marriage alliance prevents raids |
| 578 | Wu-Di | Kidnaps Prince Kaozhou as he is hunting | To eliminate rival to power |
| 578 | Taspar | Takes no action against the Zhou Kingdom's violation of his power. Instead, he places 10,000 Turks as 'guests' in Zhou | He has a secret agreement to trade the Prince Kaozhou for Princess Tsienkien. The lack of honor to a guest outrages the common people. This period shows the beginning of class separation and the movement of Turkic nobility into the Chinese cultural sphere. |
| 580 | Shang Sun | Arrives with Zhou Tsienkien and befriends Shetu | To collect information about the Turks for Zhou |
| 581 | Wen-Di | At the death of Emperor Jing-Di, he seizes power as regent for the new Emperor who is still a child | His dynastic claim is based on his daughter, the Emperor's Mother |
| 581 | Taspar | ???Muqan | Maybe as part of an agreement between Muqan and Taspar |
| 581 | Ishbara Qaghan | Swearing he will attack Talopien to uphold tradition, he is the voice of conservative factions | If tradition is followed, he will be the next Qağan |
| 581 | Änlo | Taspar dies and the toy appoints Änlo | To avoid conflict between the three conflicting claims of Tardu, Shetu and Talopien |
| 581 | Talopien | Threatens Änlo | He views himself as the legal Qağan because he has been given the title by the previous one |
| 581 | Änlo | Cedes title to Shetu at Ötükän and takes title of second Qağan | In exchange for protection, the empty title and to control the Tola Valley (Uyğur tribes) |
| 582 | Wen-Di | Deposes Zhou Emperor and expels the 10,000 Turks from Changan | To show his independence and to end the drain on the treasury |
| 582 | Shetu | Forms a coalition force with Tardu, Jotan and Talopien | To reinforce his position as Qağan and to avenge his wife's family |
| 582 | Wen-Di | Sends ambassador Yuan Huei to recognize him as Qağan by presenting him with the symbolic wolf flag at Hami | Tardu is upset that he was not made Qağan by the toy, so Wen-Di gives him diplomatic recognition which legitimizes his claim. He thereby acquires qut |
| 582 | Tardu | Declares the far-west region as sovereign and separate with himself as Qağan | The far-west region has de facto independence since the Istämi-Muqan era |
| 583 | Shetu | Blames Talopien for the failures of the campaign | Rivalry and the influence of Shang Sun |
| 583 | Talopien | Joins Jotan and Boru in the west region. | They are all opposed to Shetu's paranoia, assassination and tyranny west |
| 583 | Shetu | Kills Talopien's family and burns his yurt in revenge | Altay mountains |
| 583 | Tardu and Wen-Di | Attack simultaneously with Khitan (Shetu's own vassals in the east) | To block Shetu's power. The attack by his nominal vassals and allies erodes the credibility of Shetu, meaning he has lost qut |
| 583 | Shetu | As he only controls the central region, it is hit by famine; he asks for Sui Imperial protection | This act officially marks the end of his sovereignty, he is now a Chinese vassal |
| 584 | Talopien | Takes control of east, central and west regions | Talopien proves himself as the true Qağan by his qut |
| 585 | Wen-Di | Renames Zhou Tsienkien as Sui Dai | To make Shetu his vassal (son-in-law) because he now fears the growing power of Tardu and Talopien |
| 585 | Shetu | Sends his son Kohoden as a hostage to Changan | To seal the peace agreement |
| 585 | Talopien | Defeats Tardu and takes over far-west region, now controlling all four regions | Tardu no longer enjoys Sui Imperial support and is a rival to power that has to be eliminated as a threat |
| 585 | Tardu | Flee to Sui protection | Tardu no longer enjoys Sui Imperial support and is a rival to power that has to be eliminated as a threat |
| 585 | Tiele tribes | Submit to Talopien | He is strong enough to threaten them, therefore he has consolidated power/qut. |
| 587 | Shetu | Dies while hunting | Possible accident or an assassination |
| 588 | Chulo | Captures Talopien | Family vendetta, his older brother Shetu had been humiliated by this man. The Sui Empire supports this move to balance the growing power of Talopien |
| 588 | Nili | Replaces Talopien as Qağan; Töle tribes revolt | Try to regain lost independence in the chaos of the dynastic struggle |
| 588 | Chulo | Dies fighting the Töle | To reassert control over the tribes that had been vassal to Talopien |
| 588 | Tülan | Takes power and returns to Mongolian Steppe | All the rivals to power in the struggle for succession have been neutralized, so power reverts to the House of Shetu |
| 589 | Wen-Di | Conquers Chen Kingdom, thus reunifying China | ??? |
| 590 | Tardu | Attacks Nili to regain the far-west region | He is supported by Tülan who wants to see his last rival Nili eliminated. In effect, he recognizes the sovereignty of the far-west region |
| 593 | Tülan | Stops paying taxes | ??? |
| 593 | Sui Dai | Plots with Nili to attack Sui Empire | Revenge against Sui dynasty for overthrowing her family, the Zhou dynasty |
| 593 | Shang Sun | Requests Tülan to kill Sui Dai, but he refuses | To demonstrate he no longer is a vassal to the Sui |
| 593 | Shang Sun | Offers Princess Anyi to Zhangar Khan if he will kill Sui Dai | To create a rival to Tülan's power and thus restore a balance of power by creating another civil war |
| 593 | Tülan | Suspects Zhangar of treason | Zhangar has received so many gifts and visits from Chinese, this is tantamount to diplomatic recognition |
| 594 | Tülan | Makes peace with Tardu | Tardu has eliminated his rival; this act formally recognizes the independence of the far-west region from the Khanate |
| 594 | Shang sun | Bribes an official of the toy and exposes Sui Dai plotting with Chinese (Chen government in exile) and Sogdians (with one of whom she is having an affair) | To make the Tülan lose face in front of the toy to weaken his power, also to provide a pretext for killing the troublesome Sui Dai |
| 594 | Tülan | Executes Sui Dai | Under Turkic custom, adultery is punished by the death penalty |
| 597 | Zhangar | Marries Sui Anyi and rebels against Tülan | By marrying the Princess, he has a claim to sovereignty |
| 597 | Tülan | Kills Zhangar's family and drives him to the Ordos Loop under Sui Imperial protection | Asserts his authority |
| 598 | Tardu | Defeats Nili, Chulo takes his place | Asserts his authority |
| 599 | Tülan | Killed in Töle revolt | Töle tribes take advantage of the chaos to gain independence |
| 600 | Tardu | Defeats Chulo and declares himself supreme Qağan | A vacuum of power has been created by the loss of Zhangar, Chulo and Tülan |
| 600 | Chulo | Takes Sui Imperial protection | The Sui Empire needs him to balance the power of Tardu |
| 600 | Erkin Tegin | Initiates diplomatic contacts with China | This is the first official account of the Uyghur tribe, which at this time lived in the Tola valley with 10,000 yurts |
| 601 | Chang Sunsheng | Creates an alliance with the Töle Beys including Erkin Tegin of the Uyghur tribe | This is the first official account of the Uyghur tribe, which at this time lived in the Tola valley with 10,000 yurts |
| 601 | Tardu | Attacks Changan | As a warning to the Sui Empire not to interfere in the Turk's internal power struggles |
| 601 | Shang sun | Poisons all the wells in the Gobi Desert | Tardu's army is superior and cannot be defeated by conventional warfare |
| 603 | Erkin Tegin | Töle tribes revolt against Tardu | The Chinese are afraid of Tardu and must eliminate his base of power |
| 603 | Tardu | Abdicates to Tibet | ??? |
| 603 | Erkin Tegin | Töle alliance dissolves in the aftermath of the revolt; three tribes come under Uyghur control (Bugut, Tongra and Bayirqu) | The Uyghurs gained enough qut to pull in other tribes to the alliance |
| 603 | Zhangar | Marries Sui Yicheng and assumes the title Qağan, but as a vassal to china | Zhangar is the last of the vassal khans to China. He is particularly devoted and loyal |
| 603 | Chulo | Assumes title Qağan in the far-west region, but as a vassal to China; rules from Tashkent and Kucha | Since Tardu has been eliminated, power reverts to the House of Muqan |
| 605 | Sui Yang-Di | Ascends the Dragon Throne | ??? |
| 609 | Shipi | Takes power after Zhangar | ??? |
| 609 | Chang Sunsheng | Replaced by Peichu | ??? |
| 609 | Peichu | Offers to support Shipi's brother Qağan and a Chinese Princess, but he refuses | The traditional tactic of dividing power counter Shipi's growing strength |
| 611 | Chulo | Attempts to extend his authority over the Töle | By taxing their livestock |
| 611 | Töle | Töle tribes revolt under Syr-Tardush drives out Chulo | Uyghurs occupy second position in the alliance |
| 611 | Shekuei | Takes power and restores House of Tardu | ??? |
| 615 | Shipi | Subjugates the Töle | ??? |
| 615 | Shipi | Stops paying taxes to the Sui Empire | Asserts sovereignty |
| 615 | Peichu | Lures Sogdian vizers to the city of Mai and kills them in a trap | To keep them from exposing the Chinese plots to the Qağan |
| 615 | Shipi | Attacks Sui Yang-Di | Revenge for his treachery at Mai |
| 615 | Sui Yiching | Lies to her husband that the Töle tribes are in revolt | So he will leave, saving Sui Yang-Di from capture |
| 615 | Yang-Di | Sui Empire begins civil war | The humiliation of his defeat damages his prestige |
| 616 | Tang Taizong | Captures Changan with support of Turks; he gains 20,000 horses and 5,000 cavalry in return for giving the rights to plunder all the gold and women in Changan | ??? |
| 618 | Tang Taizong | Places his father as Emperor of the Tang dynasty | ??? |
| 626 | Tang Taizong | Kills his brothers and becomes Emperor | The Wu-men Gate incident |
| 627 | Khile Qagan | Tries to tax the Töle to replace his horses that were killed during a summer snow | ??? |
| 627 | Aynan Khan | Initiates a Syr-Tardush lead revolt of Töle tribes against Khile-Qağan | The Uyghurs again occupy second position under Pusa Ilteber |
| 627 | Aynan Khan | Declares a Khanate at Otuken | ??? |
| 630 | Taizong | Attacks in coordination with Khitan and Töle, utterly defeating the Turks and taking Khile-Qaghan prisoner | Tang-Töle alliance replaces Sui-Töle against the Turks |
| 632 | Tang Taizong | Annexes all Tokharian city states as vassals | Indirect Chinese rule of Tarim city states |
| 640 | Tang Taizong | Kucha (Kutsi) rebels in alliance with Onoq | ??? |
| 640 | Songtsen Gampo | Unifies Tibet with Buddhism as the state religion | ??? |
| 645 | Jubi Qağan | Unifies Onoq | ??? |
| 646 | Pusa (菩萨), son of Tejian (特健) | Allies with Syr-Tardush to defeat Eastern Qaġanate | He is granted with a Chinese title of prefect creating a legal precedent for leadership |
| 646 | Tumitu Ilteber (吐迷度) | Assassinates Pusa and defeats the Syr-Tardush; declares a state at Otuken | First Uyghur state; this becomes the precedent for all later claims for the right to rule. Moreover, he is a Chinese vassal paying a tax of furs |
| 648 | Tang Taizong | Replaces all vassal Tokharian kings with Chinese officials under the governor-general in Kaochang; the Tarim Basin is now the western protectorate | The Chinese are now directly rule the Tarim city states |
| 648 | Tumitu Ilteber | Assassinated by nephew Wuhe, who is in turn assassinated by Chinese spies | Wuhe is a Gokturk sympathizer and therefore an enemy of Chinese interests |
| 648 | Pojuan Ilteber (婆闰) | Installed as new Khan; he becomes a loyal vassal of China | Uyghurs now carry Chinese titles and work as mercenaries in the 'pacifed west' |
| 650 | ??? | China captures Kashgar and Khotan | ??? |
| 650 | Tang Taizong | Dies, his son Kaozong creating a scandal by marrying Taizong's former concubine Zhou Wu-Mei | By custom, Wu-Mei should have retired to a convent after her husband's death. This unusual marriage indicates she had an extramarital affair with Kaozong prior to Taizong's death |
| 651 | Holu Khan | Unifies the Onoq and threatens China | ??? |
| 651 | Pojuan Ilteber | Defeats Korean rebellion | The Uyghurs view the Chinese as both allies and kingmakers |
| 651 | ??? | Arabs advance to Herat | ??? |
| 652 | ??? | Arabs sack Balkh, then return to Khorosan | ??? |
| 657 | Pojuan Khan | Leads Uyğur army and defeats Holu in the name of the Tang Empire | Onoq power is broken, the Uyghurs ally with China to defeat the last remnants of their ancestral enemy, the Turks Chu valley |
| 657 | Pojuan Khan | Killed during the battle of Goguryeo (高句丽) | The Chinese break off diplomatic ties with Uyghur |
| 659 | Kaozong | Creates 10 tribal states in Onoq territory of which each one is governed by a vassal khan | The far-western region of the Turks is now subdued by China |
| 659 | Xuanzong | China annexes Suyab and Tashkent, marking the maximum extent of Chinese power | ??? |
| 660 | Gaozong | Suffers stroke and delegates power to his wife Wu Zetian | ??? |
| 661 | ??? | Onoq and Tibet drive the Tang out of Tarim | ??? |
| 660 | Tiele | Revolt against China | Tribute has not been paid |
| 661 | Pilatu | Succeeds her brother as Ilteber | ??? |
| 621 | Wu Zetian | Suppresses revolt at Khangai | ??? |
| 663 | Pilatu | Uyghur power declines | ??? |
| 663 | ??? | Arabs invade Bactria | ??? |
| 663 | ??? | Tibet takes Vakhan, Gilit and Kashgar | ??? |
| 665 | ??? | Onoq enters revolt | ??? |
| 670 | ??? | Tibet seizes four garrisons with the Chinese army retreating to Turpan | The Chinese divert their trade route north from Turpan to Beshbaliq, Suyab and Tashkent |
| 679 | ??? | Tibet controls four garrisons | ??? |
| 680 | Kutlug | Declares Orkhon Khanate | End of Tang Imperial control of Mongolian Steppe |
| 681 | Pro-China Tiele | Escapes to Liangzhou | They have lost qut and must flee to the steppe |
| 682 | Kutlug | Reunites the 16 tribes | Rise of Turk power |
| 682 | Tuchiachi | Is defeated by Kutluk; the Uyghurs move to the Selenga valley | The Uyghur lose sovereignty but not autonomy |
| 683 | Wu Zetian | Takes the Dragon Throne | This is a coup d'état |
| 688 | Kutlug | Defeats Uyğurs | ??? |
| 690 | Wu Zetian | Seizes absolute power by appealing to Buddhist millennialism | ??? |
| 691 | Kutlug | Defeats Toquz-Oghuz | ??? |
| 692 | Wu Zetian | Recovers Karashahr and Kucha | ??? |
| 692 | Kapğan | Succeeds his brother as the new Qağan | Traditional succession from older to younger brother |
| 692 | ??? | Tang Imperial army retakes the four garrisons | ??? |
| 693 | Kapğan | Defeats Tang Imperial army | ??? |
| 694 | Wu Zetian | Recovers Khotan and Kashgar | ??? |
| 698 | Kapğan | Defeats Türğish at the battle of Bolchu near Lake Urungu | This rendered the western steppe region vassal to the Orkhon Khanate |
| 700 | Bilgä shad | Attacks Tangut Kingdom | ??? |
| 701 | Tonyukuk-Ayguchy | Captures Sogdiana | This was a vassal of the Onoq to achieve total victory over his enemies |
| 702 | Kapğan | Attacks Xia Kingdom | ??? |
| 703 | ??? | Turko-Tibetan alliance is formed, but fails to defeat Tang army | ??? |
| 703 | ??? | Onoq retakes Suyab | ??? |
| 705 | Wu Zetian | Abdicates to Zhongzong | ??? |
| 705 | ??? | Tibetan-Gandharan alliance is formed and drives the Arabs from Bactria | ??? |
| 705 | Qutayba | Appointed governor of Khorosan | ??? |
| 706 | Qutayba | Captures Bukhara | ??? |
| 707 | Bukharan leader | Asks Khapgan for military support against the Arabs | ??? |
| 708 | Xuanzong | Offers reward to three vassal tribes for the head of Kapğan | ??? |
| 710 | Zhongzong | Poisoned by his wife Empress Wei who has an affair with Wu Sansi | ??? |
| 710 | Xuanzong | Takes power with his aunt Princess Taiping (daughter of Empress Wu) | ??? |
| 710 | Kyrgyz tribes | Revolt and are defeated | ??? |
| 710 | Qutayba | Places Tugshada on the throne of Bukhara and Ghurek on the throne of Samarkand | ??? |
| 711 | Turgish Khan | Revolt begins | ??? |
| 711 | Qarluk | Revolt and are defeated in 714 | ??? |
| 712 | Xuanzong | Begins reign and kills Princess Taiping | ??? |
| 712 | Qutayba | Invades Bactria | ??? |
| 712 | Samarkand leader | Asks Khapgan for military support against the Arabs | ??? |
| 712 | ??? | Turks control Sogd | ??? |
| 712 | King of Fargana | Flees to Kucha under Chinese protection | ??? |
| 714 | Izgil tribe | Revolt and are defeated in 715 | ??? |
| 715 | Toquz-Oguz tribe | Revolt and are defeated in 716 (this revolt includes the Uyghur tribe) | ??? |
| 715 | Qutayba | Assassinated by his troops in the Fargana valley | because he wishes to continue the campaign against the orders of the Caliph |
| 715 | King of Faragana | Returns as a Chinese vassal | ??? |
| 715 | King of Faragana | Returns as a Chinese vassal | ??? |
| 716 | Bayirqu tribe | Revolt and are defeated, but a rouge warrior ambushes Kapğan and kills him and sends his head to Changan with envoy Ho Lingchüan (July 22, Tola river) | ??? |
| 716 | Uyğur tribe | Revolt with Qarluk and Toquz-oguz | Although defeated they become autonomous vassals in the Selenga valley |
| 716 | Bilgä | Kills Inel, Kapğan's whole family and all his officials | Inel is not fit to rule, moreover, by Turk law the throne should pass to Bilgä |
| 718 | Bilgä | Restores peace and ends all revolts | ??? |
| 720 | Xuanzong | Tries to attack Bilgä in coordination with Basmyl and Khitans, but fails, therefore accepting the terms of Bilgä's peace | ??? |
| 721 | Xuanzong | China controls Suyab, Kucha, Kashgar, Tashkent and Fargana | ??? |
| 721 | Xuanzong | Arabo-Turgish-Tibetan alliance defeats Chinese army; the Arabs take Faragana and the Turgish take Suyab | ??? |
| 721 | ??? | Tashkent becomes independent | ??? |
| 721 | ??? | Sogdo-Turgish alliance attacks Arabs | ??? |
| 725 | Tonyukuk | Dies | ??? |
| 727 | Bilgä | Refuses an anti-Tang alliance with the Tibetans | ??? |
| 728 | ??? | Sogdo-Turgish alliance liberates Sogd | ??? |
| 729 | ??? | Arabs control Bactria and Samarkand | Turgish control of Sogd, Fargana and Suyab; China control of North Tarim and Tibet control South Tarim |
| 731 | Köl Tegin | Dies | ??? |
| 734 | Bilgä | Poisoned by Buyruk Chor as part of a Chinese conspiracy | ??? |
| 736 | ??? | Sino-Arabian alliance is formed and defeats the Turgish at Suyab | China annexes Suyab, while Arabs occupy Sogd |
| 739 | ??? | Tibet allies with Gandhara | China annexes Suyab, while Arabs occupy Sogd |
| 739 | Ghurek | Reign ends | ??? |
| 742 | Xuanzong | Begins affair with Yang Gueifei and leaves power in the hands of An Rokhan | ??? |
| 744 | Ozmish Khan | Killed by Uyghur, Basmyl, Qarluk rebellion | ??? |
| 745 | ??? | Qarluk and Uyghur overthrow Basmyl Khan | ??? |
| 745 | ??? | Uyghur defeat Qarluk and declare a new Khanate at Otuken; the Qarluk move to the far-west region | ??? |
| 745 | Abu Muslim | Begins a Jihad in Sogd | ??? |
| 747 | Bayan Chor | Begins reign | ??? |
| 748 | ??? | Abbasid Caliphate begins | ??? |
| 750 | Chabish of Tashkent and Ilkhshid of Fargana | Begin a dispute; Chinese ally Ilkhshid and Turkish ally the Chabish send for help | ??? |
| 750 | General Kao Hsienchih | Sacks Tashkent after it surrenders, taking the Chabish and the Khan to be executed in Changan | ??? |
| 750 | Son of Chabish | Petitions governor Ziyad ibn Salih in Samarkand for revenge | ??? |
| 751 | Abu Muslim | Sends army at the request of Governor Salih, meeting the Kao Hsienchih at Talas | ??? |
| 755 | Abu Muslim | Assassinated | ??? |
| 755 | An Rokhan | Rebels against Xuanzong | ??? |
| 755 | An Rokhan | Captures Changan | ??? |
| 756 | Xuanzong | Abdicates and Yang Guifei is killed | ??? |
| 759 | Bogu Khan | Begins reign | ??? |
| 763 | Bogu Khan | Ends Ungluk Suyluk Topilingi (An Lushan) rebellion | ??? |
The Uyghurs, alternatively spelled Uighurs, Uygurs or Uigurs, are a Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia. The Uyghurs are recognized as native to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in Northwest China. They are one of China's 55 officially recognized ethnic minorities. The Uyghurs are recognized by the Chinese government as a regional minority and the titular people of Xinjiang.
East Turkestan is a loosely-defined geographical and historical region in the western provinces of the People's Republic of China, which varies in meaning by context and usage. The term was coined in the 19th century by Russian Turkologists, including Nikita Bichurin, who intended the name to replace the common Western term for the region, Chinese Turkestan, which referred to the Tarim Basin in the southwestern part of Xinjiang during the Qing dynasty. The medieval Persian toponym "Turkestan" and its derivatives were used by the local population as early as the 7th century. Historical manuscripts, dating back to the 7th and 9th century, found in the Turpan and Khotan regions, show that the name Turkestan was used to describe the region. The opening of the 11th century literary work Kutadgu Bilig by Kara-Khanid statesman Yusuf Khass Hajib also describes the region as Turkestan. Beginning in the 17th century, Altishahr, which means "Six Cities" in Uyghur, became the Uyghur name for the Tarim Basin. Uyghurs also called the Tarim Basin "Yettishar," which means "Seven Cities," and even "Sekkizshahr", which means "Eight Cities" in Uyghur. Chinese dynasties from the Han dynasty to the Tang dynasty had called an overlapping area the "Western Regions". The parts of this area conquered by the Manchu Qing Dynasty were termed "Xinjiang" from the 18th century on.
The Yugurs, Yughurs, Yugu, traditionally known as Yellow Uyghurs, are a Turkic-Mongolic ethnic group and one of China's 56 officially recognized ethnic groups, consisting of 16,719 persons according to the 2000 census. The Yugur live primarily in Sunan Yugur Autonomous County in Gansu, China. They are mostly Tibetan Buddhists. Majority of Yugurs speak a Turkic language while Mongolic and Chinese are also used in Eastern provinces.
The Uyghur or Uighur language is a Turkic language written in a Uyghur Perso-Arabic script with 8–13 million speakers, spoken primarily by the Uyghur people in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of Western China. Significant communities of Uyghur speakers are also located in Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, and various other countries have Uyghur-speaking expatriate communities. Uyghur is an official language of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region; it is widely used in both social and official spheres, as well as in print, television, and radio. Other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang also use Uyghur as a common language.
The Uyghur Khaganate was a Turkic empire that existed for about a century between the mid 8th and 9th centuries. They were a tribal confederation under the Orkhon Uyghur (回鶻) nobility, referred to by the Chinese as the Jiu Xing, a calque of the name Toquz Oghuz or Toquz Tughluq.
Old Uyghur was a Turkic language which was spoken in Qocho from the 9th–14th centuries and in Gansu.
Uyghur cuisine is the cuisine of the Uyghur people, which are mainly situated in the autonomous region of Xinjiang, also commonly referred to as Uyghuristan or East Turkistan.
The Old Uyghur alphabet was a Turkic script used for writing the Old Uyghur, a variety of Old Turkic spoken in Turpan and Gansu that is the ancestor of the modern Western Yugur language. The term "Old Uyghur" used for this alphabet is misleading because Qocho, the Uyghur (Yugur) kingdom created in 843, originally used the Old Turkic alphabet. The Uyghur adopted this "Old Uyghur" script from local inhabitants when they migrated into Turfan after 840. It was an adaptation of the Aramaic alphabet used for texts with Buddhist, Manichaean and Christian content for 700–800 years in Turpan. The last known manuscripts are dated to the 18th century. This was the prototype for the Mongolian and Manchu alphabets. The Old Uyghur alphabet was brought to Mongolia by Tata-tonga.
The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) is an international organization of exiled Uyghur groups that claims to "represent the collective interest of the Uyghur people" both inside and outside of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. The World Uyghur Congress claims to be a nonviolent and peaceful movement that opposes what it considers to be the Chinese "occupation" of 'East Turkestan' and advocates rejection of totalitarianism, religious intolerance and terrorism as an instrument of policy. The Congress is funded in part by the National Endowment for Democracy or NED of the United States. It has been designated as a terrorist organization by China since 2003 for conspiring with separatists and religious extremists to plan terror attacks.
The Shaoguan incident was a civil disturbance which took place overnight on 25–26 June 2009 in Guangdong, China. A violent dispute erupted between migrant Uyghurs and Han Chinese workers at a toy factory in Shaoguan as a result of false allegations of the sexual assault of a Han Chinese woman. Groups of Han Chinese set upon Uyghur co-workers, leading to at least two Uyghurs being violently killed by angry Han Chinese men, and some 118 people injured, most of them Uyghurs.
Xinjiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest of the country at the crossroads of Central Asia and East Asia. Being the largest province-level division of China by area and the 8th-largest country subdivision in the world, Xinjiang spans over 1.6 million square kilometres (620,000 sq mi) and has about 25 million inhabitants. Xinjiang borders the countries of Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. The rugged Karakoram, Kunlun and Tian Shan mountain ranges occupy much of Xinjiang's borders, as well as its western and southern regions. The Aksai Chin and Trans-Karakoram Tract regions, both administered by China, are claimed by India. Xinjiang also borders the Tibet Autonomous Region and the provinces of Gansu and Qinghai. The most well-known route of the historic Silk Road ran through the territory from the east to its northwestern border.
Uyghur Yëngi Yëziqi or Uyƣur Yengi Yeziⱪi, is a Latin alphabet, with both Uniform Turkic Alphabet and Pinyin influence, used for writing the Uyghur language between 1965 and 1982, primarily by Uyghurs living in China.
Kashgar or Kashi is an oasis city in the Tarim Basin region of southern Xinjiang, China. It is one of the westernmost cities of China, located near the country's border with Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Kashgar was a strategically important city on the Silk Road between China, the Middle East, and Europe for over 2,000 years. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and has a population of 711,300 people. Kashgar's urban area covers 15 km2 (5.8 sq mi), although its administrative area extends over 555 km2 (214 sq mi).
Uyghurs in Kazakhstan, or Uyghur Kazakhstanis, form the country's fifth-largest ethnic group, according to the 2009 census.
The Ili Rebellion was a Uyghur separatist movement backed by the Soviet Union against the Kuomintang government of the Republic of China in 1944. After the start of the rebellion, the rebels established the Provisional Government of the Second East Turkestan Republic in 1944. The Ili Rebellion was the start of the East Turkistan National Liberation Revolution, also known as the Three Districts Revolution, which lasted from 1944 to 1949.
The Xinjiang conflict, also known as the East Turkistan conflict, Uyghur–Chinese conflict or Sino-East Turkistan conflict, is an ongoing ethnic geopolitical conflict in what is now China's far-northwest autonomous region of Xinjiang also known as East Turkistan. It is centred around the Uyghurs, a Turkic ethnic group who constitute a plurality of the region's population.
Uyghur Americans are Americans of Uyghur ethnicity. Most Uyghurs immigrated from Xinjiang, China, to the United States from the late 1980s onwards, with a significant number arriving after July 2009.
The Xinjiang internment camps, officially called vocational education and training centers by the government of China, are internment camps operated by the government of Xinjiang and the Chinese Communist Party Provincial Standing Committee. Human Rights Watch says that they have been used to indoctrinate Uyghurs and other Muslims since 2017 as part of a "people's war on terror", a policy announced in 2014. The camps have been criticized by the governments of many countries and human rights organizations for alleged human rights abuses, including mistreatment, rape, and torture, with some of them alleging genocide. Some 40 countries around the world have called on China to respect the human rights of the Uyghur community, including countries such as Canada, Germany, Turkey, Honduras and Japan. The governments of more than 35 countries have expressed support for China's government. Xinjiang internment camps have been described as "the most extreme example of China's inhumane policies against Uighurs".
Central Asians in the United States are Americans with ancestry from Central Asia. They include Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, and Uzbek individuals. People of Afghan, Baloch, and Uyghur descent are also sometimes classified as Central Asians. The United States census does not mention Central Asians under any category.
The Chinese government has committed a series of ongoing human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities in Xinjiang that is often characterized as genocide. Beginning in 2014, the Chinese government, under the administration of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary Xi Jinping, incarcerated more than an estimated one million Turkic Muslims without any legal process in internment camps. Operations from 2016 to 2021 were led by Xinjiang CCP Secretary Chen Quanguo, who dramatically increased the scale and scope of the camps. It is the largest-scale detention of ethnic and religious minorities since World War II. Experts estimate that, since 2017, some sixteen thousand mosques have been razed or damaged, and hundreds of thousands of children have been forcibly separated from their parents and sent to boarding schools.