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The Uyghurs’ Homeland
The majority of Uyghurs live in Central Asia. The
piece of land where Uyghurs have existed throughout history is called
‘Uyghuristan’ in the Uyghur language; the name ‘East Turkistan’ in a
more historical term, while ‘Xinjiang’ is its name in the Chinese
language. It is located in the northwestern part of China and stretches
about 2000 kilometers from east to west, and about 1650 kilometers from
north to south. Its total area was declared to be 1.9 million square km
in 1950, but recently the Chinese government declared it to be 1.6
million square km.
The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (East Turkistan) is
bordered by the provinces of Gansu, Qinghai and the Tibetan Autonomous
Region, and by the countries of Kazakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Mongolia and Russia. ia.
Towards the south of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
(East Turkistan) are the Kunlun and Karakorum mountain ranges. Towards
the west are the Pamir mountains, and in the northeast is the Altay
mountain range. Between the Altay mountains and the Pamir mountains lie
the great pride of the Uyghur people: the Great Tangri mountains. This
mountain range separates north and south Xinjiang (East Turkistan)
regions. The Hun Mountain Peak and the Boghdagh Mountain Peak are the
great peaks of the Tangri range. On the north and south sides of the
Tangri mountains are deep basins of various sizes including the Tarim
Basin, Jungaria Basin, Ili Basin, and the Turpan Basin. These basins are
filled with minerals and lakes which provided the Uyghur ancestors with
many of their everyday needs. In the center of the Tarim Basin is the
Taklimakan Desert, which measures about 337,600 square km and is
considered the second largest desert in the world. In the northern
ridges of the Tangri mountains and the southern parts of the Altay
mountains lies the Zhungaria Basin. This basin, which measures
approximately 380,000 square km, is considered the second largest basin
after the Tarim Basin. At the bottom of the Tarim and Jungharia basins
are various rivers, including the Kashkar River, Ertish River and Ili
River among others.
The name Uyghur is worthy of this beautiful land and its
natural riches. All of these canyons, basins, mountains and deserts are
filled with natural resources and minerals. Following the discovery of
these natural resources, Chinese immigrants have been exploiting them
for their own benefits. One hundred and thirty-seven different kinds of
mineral resource have been found, including gold, iron, copper, niobium,
silver, antimony, rare metals, non-ferrous metals and oil and gas (there
is thought to be about 11 trillion cubic meters of gas). Also, the
basins and oases of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (East Turkistan)
are extremely fertile with highly developed agricultural practices
producing wheat, corn and many types of vegetable and fruit.
The Uyghurs’ Ethnic Background
The ancestors of the ethnic Uyghurs have lived in
these lands and created history in these lands since antiquity. The
process of Uyghurs becoming a true nation was recorded in history long
before the 3rd century BCE. According to a Chinese version of
history, the Uyghurs’ earliest ancestors were called Dee (as named by
Chinese historians; and Dek by Turkic historians). The Dek (Uyghurs),
Koghursu, Kipar, Kojiya, Ghur-ghur, and the Itikin people were all
related. According to the Chinese histories Old Tang and
Uyghurs’ Story, Uyghurs were descendents of the Huns. At the
beginning of the 1st century BCE, the Dek nation was
established in the Ili region, and had a powerful army of 60,000 men.
And before the Dek are recorded as becoming nomadic, tribes known as the
Aryans, the Sogdianas, and the Saks migrated from as far away as Iran
and the depths of India into the region now called the Xinjiang Uyghur
Autonomous Region (East Turkistan).
Ethnic Name of Uyghurs
It could be claimed that a nation’s name can be used
as a label, as a social signature for the people. According to studies
by linguists and historians, for 2000 years the name “Uyghur” has not
changed phonetically, and has been consistently used by the Uyghurs
themselves. Henry Polly, a highly educated geographer, read Ptolemy’s
work Geography written in the 3rd century BCE and
discovered the words Uyghur-Uyghart (in Greek: Oikhdai-Oechuras), and
stated that they referred to the Uyghurs now.
In the 11th century, according to the
Turkic Language Dictionary, the name Uyghur came from the word “Hooz
Hor” given to the people by Alexander the Great when he encountered them
near Uyghur lands, and witnessed their astonishing ability with bows.
Other studies have claimed that the name Uyghur came from the word
“Uurghur” which was used during medieval times by the Uyghur people.
Kingdoms built by or related to Uyghurs Throughout History
The Uyghur people, along with their brother peoples
the Toran, Hun, and the Sek, have established a succession of dynasties
throughout the centuries and throughout a vast region.
1.
The Hun Empire (204 – 216 BCE)
4.
The Kok Turk Kingdom (551 – 745)
5.
The Uyghur Empire (646 – 845)
6.
The Uyghur Kansu Kingdom (870 – ?)
7.
The Uyghur Qara Hani Kingdom (850 – 1212)
8.
The Uyghur Iduqut Kingdom (850 – 1335)
9.
The Ghaznavid Kingdom (960 – 1187)
10.
The Great Saljuq Kingdom (1040 – 1157)
11.
Harazim Kingdom (1172 – 1231)
12.
The Alahidin Artunga Kingdom (1341 – 1381)
13.
The Saeedia Kingdom (1504 – 1678)
14.
The Uyghur Kashgaria Kingdom (1856 – 1884)
In the 1830s, Russia and Great Britain disputed over
Afghanistan and Central Asia, and Kashgar Province in Xinjiang (East
Turkistan) was also targeted by Russia and Great Britain. In 1856,
Russia occupied the Kuhan, Buhara and Hiwa Kingdoms. An ordinary worker
named Yakub Beg traveled from Kuhan city to Kashgar city and unified the
Kashgar, Yakan, and Hotan provinces, thereby establishing the Uyghur
Kashgaria Kingdom. He also unified Urumqi, Eli, and Altay counties. As a
result, Yakub Beg unified the entire country. (To this day, Chinese
historians still accuse Yakub Beg of being a British spy.) However his
accomplishments did not last long. The Manchu, who at the time were the
dynasty ruling Chinese, were receiving weaponry and other military
assistance from Russia. The Manchu court sent their general, Zou
Zongtang, west into what is now the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region,
to take over rule of the region in 1875. Simultaneously, Great Britain
supplied the Manchu with currency taken from their Boston Bank, located
in Hong Kong, to aid them with the invasion.
In 1877, Zou Zongtang massacred 600,000 Uyghurs in
Kashgar and overthrew the Uyghur Kashgar Kingdom. At that time Russia
did not allow Great Britain to occupy Kashgar City, and nor did Great
Britain allow Russia to occupy it either after Russia invaded Ili and
Kashgar provinces with their heavy cavalry. Starting from the 1900s the
rapid rise in power of Germany startled both Russia and Great Britain
and they were both forced to withdraw their forces from Central Asia.
After the withdrawal, to avoid conflict with each other over Xinjiang
(East Turkistan), they helped the Manchu dynasty control and colonize
Xinjiang.
In 1856, before the “tug-of-war” over Central Asia,
Great Britain, Russia, Turkey, and Afghanistan were among other
countries that recognized the Uyghur Kashgaria Kingdom as an independent
nation built under the leadership of Yakub Beg. In recognition, these
countries sent envoys to Xinjiang (East Turkistan). (Kiropotkin, an
envoy from Russia and also a historian, arrived in the Uyghur Kashgaria
Kingdom to label and define the border between Russia and the Uyghur
Kashgaria Kingdom.)
In 1884, Zou Zongtang changed the Uyghur Kashgaria
Kingdom’s name to Xinjiang (meaning ‘new territory’). But after about 26
years, the Uyghur hero Tomur Helpe drove Manchu forces off the Uyghurs’
land in an uprising, which he started in Qumul in 1911. However, with
continuous military help from the Russians, Manchu warlords once again
took control of the Uyghurs’ homeland. On November 12, 1933, Sabit
Damulla declared Uyghur independence following a military revolution. In
the ensuing years and until 1937, Stalin sent Russian troops to put East
Turkistan into the hands of a Chinese warlord, Sheng Shicai. Eleven
years later, on exactly the same day, Uyghurs rose up to drive Chinese
troops out of Ili prefecture and the rest of East Turkistan. This
short-lived Uyghur republic was ended by the “Sino-Russian Friendship
Agreement” signed during the Yalta Summit, held on February 11, 1945. On
August 14, Stalin agreed to let the Guomindang take control of East
Turkistan.
The second Uyghur republic within the 20th
century existed from 1944-1949. On August 27, 1949, the leader of the
republic, Ahmatjan Qasimi, was reportedly killed in an air crash (the
report came from Beijing and Moscow). In actuality, Ahmatjan Qasimi was
the target of a political conspiracy set up by Mao Zedong and Stalin. He
was killed in the Soviet Union at a secret KGB camp by Lake Baikal, and
the Chinese communist army then invaded East Turkistan on October 1,
1949. In the “White Paper on Xinjiang” published on May 25, 2003, the
Chinese communist government mention the two Uyghur republics
established in the 1930s and 40s. However, the Chinese government has
never publicly questioned or explained why the Republic was overthrown.
From 1950 up until the current day, the Uyghur people have risen up on
average once every two years to express m
ilitary or civil disobedience against Chinese
control, according to an official Chinese history book entitled
“Sovereignty Above All”.
Religious Beliefs
Over the course of history, Uyghurs have believed in
Shamanism, Manicheaism, Buddism, Christianity and Zerdushism. Uyghurs
now believe in Islam.
The Uyghur Language
Long before and after Uyghurs became known in
history, they have used the Uyghur language as their main communication
tool. The Uyghur language belongs to the Altaic language system, also
known as the Uyghur language family, the Western Hun language branch and
Qarluq language group. According to some research papers, the Uyghur
language has 2000 years of history. Ancient Uyghurs used the Mani
alphabet, Brahma alphabet and Soghdi alphabet to record their Language.
(Currently, Uyghurs use the Arabic script. The Latin alphabet is also
used widely among internet users – note added by translator).
Uyghur Literature, Art and Music
Uyghur mythology, folklore, music, and oral and
classic literatures have had a profound impact on the way of life of the
Uyghur people as well as those in neighboring countries. Uyghur duets,
poems and songs reflect the honesty and simplicity of Uyghurs’ view of
the world. Uyghurs were known as “the people of dance and music” in
Central Asia. The fact that the traditional Uyghur “12 mukam” musical
epics has been designated world heritage by the United Nations shows the
richness of Uyghur traditional music.
Uyghur Musical Instruments
Uyghurs have 27 different types of musical
instruments, some of which take four or five different forms.
Uyghur Population
Precise population figures are a secret extremely
tightly controlled by the Chinese communist state. Below are the
government’s statistics on Uyghur population over the years:
3,291,145 persons in 1900
8,500,000 persons in 1949
5,641,593 persons in 1979
5,986,869 persons in 1982
7,302,178 persons in 1992
7,589,468 persons in 1993
8,746,379 persons in 1996
8,823,500 persons in 2004
However, Chinese President Jiang Zemin said the
Uyghur population was 17.6 million people before he started a
six-country trip on October 12, 1999 – a statement recorded in the same
day’s “Yomuri” newspaper published in Japan. He said: “China has 17
million 600 thousand Uyghur Muslims”. (Reference: October 12, 1999
“Yomuri” newspaper in Japan). In an article published on April 30, 1997,
after the Ili uprising on February 5 in the same year, Mr Mora Monixen
reported that the Uyghur population was 20 million people. It is
believed that 20 million people reflects the actual number, and this is
the figure quoted to interested parties.
Other ethnic minorities’ populations in East Turkistan
The Kazakh population is 1,196,416 according to a
2004 census. A considerable number of these Kazakhs are the direct
ancestors of those who fled to East Turkistan after Russian Tsars
invaded their land, and after the 1917 Russian revolution.
Other ethnic minorities’ numbers are: Hui 866,700;
Mongols 166,900; Kyrgyz 173,700; Tajiks 36,108; Shibes 40,300; Manchu
23,900; Uzbeks 14,600; Russians 11,100; Tatars 4,900; Daghurs 6,700; and
Chinese immigrants 7,497,400 (2004). Among them, Uzbeks, Kazaks, Tajiks
and Kygyz all have independent countries in Central Asia. In the first
half 20th century, Chinese populations were very small,
limited only to military personnel. In 1945 the Guomindang brought over
300,000 soldiers and their families. The Chinese population of over 7
million people currently living in East Turkistan are illegal immigrants
who arrived after October 1, 1949.
Uyghurs’ Political and Social Status
Chinese communists established the Xinjiang Uyghur
Autonomous Region (XUAR) in 1955. However, the XUAR has never had
so-called autonomy. Uyghurs are heavily discriminated against in terms
of their socio-economic, military, and political status. The Chinese
government started to restrict Uyghur population growth by limiting the
number of children to two per household from the beginning of 1987 until
the current day. From the beginning of the 1990’s but particularly since
9/11, the Chinese government has taken the opportunity of the war on
terror as a useful weapon to illegally punish Uyghurs who even
peacefully express their political views. Based on Amnesty
International’s statistics, the Chinese government has executed over 200
Uyghur political prisoners between 1997 and 2006. It is interesting to
note that the Chinese government never executed political prisoners
detained during the 1989 student movement. This is an obvious
double-standard when it comes to the treatment of Uyghur and Chinese
political prisoners, which clearly undermines the so-called
constitutional guarantee of equality before the law in China.
Uyghurs and Han are as different as night and day in
their language, religion, and cultures. Fifty-five years of Chinese
communist control is to this day achieved through local interpreters. As
we speak, they are trying harder than ever to eliminate the Uyghurs’
language, religion and culture, and eventually the Uyghurs themselves.
References:
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East Turkistan Handbook >>
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Uyghur Ethnography >>
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Xinjiang Overview >>
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13 ethnic groups in Xinjiang >> Shinjiang yash osmurler neshiryati
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