Uighurs

Uighurs
https://www.flickr.com/photos/90987386@N05/ · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Group	Uighurs
Regions	Xinjiang, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Germany, Sweden, Australia, United States
Languages	Uyghur language, Chinese language
Religions	Sunni Islam, Sufism
Related	Karakhanids, Karluks, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz people, Tatars

Uighurs are a Turkic-speaking people with deep historical roots in Central Asia, concentrated in the Xinjiang region and diasporas across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Germany, Sweden, Australia, and the United States. Their identity has been shaped by interactions with empires, trade networks, religious movements, and modern nation-states, involving figures, institutions, and events across Eurasia.

Etymology and Names

Scholars trace endonyms and exonyms through sources such as the Old Turkic inscriptions, Tang dynasty chronicles, and accounts by Ibn Battuta and Marco Polo, linking medieval polities like the Uyghur Khaganate and dynasties such as the Karakhanids and Qara Khitai. Modern ethnonyms appear in documents from the Russian Empire, Qing dynasty, and twentieth-century actors including the Republic of China, the People's Republic of China, and international organizations like the United Nations. Nomenclature debates involve academics at institutions such as Harvard University, Oxford University, Beijing Foreign Studies University, and think tanks like the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

History

Regional premodern history connects to the Silk Road, interactions with the Tang dynasty, the Mongol Empire, and successor states including the Chagatai Khanate and the Dzungar Khanate. The Uyghur Khaganate and medieval centers such as Kashgar, Hotan, and Turpan were linked to merchants from Venice, envoys from Byzantium, and travelers like Xuanzang. The 18th-century conquest by the Qing dynasty integrated the region into imperial administration, later contested during the Republican era by figures like Yang Zengxin and Ma Shaowu and movements such as the First East Turkestan Republic and the Second East Turkestan Republic. Twentieth-century transformations involved policies of the People's Republic of China, leaders like Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, and international actors including Soviet Union authorities, the United Nations, and foreign governments such as Turkey and United States diplomatic missions. Contemporary events involve infrastructure projects like the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor, security responses connected to incidents such as the 2009 Ürümqi riots and Kunming railway station attack, and regional administration by bodies like the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region government and the Chinese Communist Party.

Language and Literature

The Turkic linguistic tradition includes the Uyghur language written historically in Old Turkic script, Arabic script, and Latin-based orthographies, and presented in modern texts at universities like Beijing Normal University, Suleyman Demirel University, and University of Oxford. Literary heritage draws on manuscripts from repositories such as the Id Kah Mosque library, poetic forms linked to figures like Amannisa Khan and genres reflected in collections akin to the Kutadgu Bilig and works studied at the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts in Saint Petersburg. Modern authors and scholars have affiliations with institutions including Peking University, University of Cambridge, Columbia University, and publishing houses like Oxford University Press and Routledge.

Religion and Culture

Islamic practice among the people has historical ties to Sunni Islam, Sufism, and pilgrimage networks to sites like Mecca and Medina, with local religious leaders educated in madrasas influenced by scholars from Samarkand, Bukhara, and Cairo. Cultural expressions include music performed on instruments comparable to the dutar and rawap, dance traditions celebrated at festivals such as Nowruz and regional bazaars in Kashgar and Ürümqi, and visual arts preserved in museums like the Xinjiang Regional Museum and exhibition spaces in Istanbul and Berlin. Heritage conservation involves collaborations among agencies like UNESCO, national ministries such as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (China), and academic centers including the School of Oriental and African Studies.

Society and Demographics

Population studies conducted by organizations including the National Bureau of Statistics of China, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and academic centers at Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley analyze urban concentrations in Ürümqi, Kashgar, Hotan, and Aksu, alongside diaspora communities in Almaty, Bishkek, Ankara, and Istanbul. Social researchers use census data, surveys by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, and fieldwork by scholars from SOAS University of London and Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology to examine trends in migration, age structures, and household composition.

Economy and Livelihoods

Traditional livelihoods include agriculture in oases such as Tarim Basin valleys, orcharding of apricots and grapes in Turpan, silk production tied to the historic Silk Road, and artisanal crafts sold at markets in Kashgar Bazaar. Contemporary economic development features industries promoted by initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative, energy projects involving firms such as China National Petroleum Corporation and Sinopec, and manufacturing hubs attracting companies including Huawei and Foxconn in regional supply chains. Trade relations connect regional markets to ports like Shanghai and Lianyungang and logistics corridors involving the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.

Human Rights and International Response

Human rights concerns have prompted statements and reports from bodies such as United Nations Human Rights Council, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and national parliaments including the European Parliament, the United States Congress, and the Turkish Grand National Assembly. Diplomatic actions have involved the United States Department of State, the European Union External Action Service, and bilateral relations with governments like China, Turkey, Kazakhstan, United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada. Legal and advocacy responses include cases in courts such as the International Criminal Court discussions, national legislation like the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act debated in the United States Congress, sanctions administered by the United States Treasury Department and the Council of the European Union, and civil society campaigns coordinated by NGOs including World Uyghur Congress, Uyghur Human Rights Project, Safe Passage International, and media coverage by outlets such as BBC News, The New York Times, Al Jazeera, and Reuters.

Category:Ethnic groups in Asia