Who
are the Uyghurs ?
Erkin Sidick
(1998)
Today's Uyghurs and Uyghuristan
Uyghurs is one of the Turkic ethnic
groups living in the northwestern region of the present China. The
official Chinese name of the region is Xinjiang (or Sinkyang)
Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), but the native Uyghurs have
historically called their country or this region either
Uyghuristan or Eastern Turkistan or both. In this document, the
name Uyghuristan is used to refer to this region.
Located in Central Asia, 1500 miles from
Beijing, Uyghuristan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north,
Mongolia to the northeast, and Kirghizstan and Tajikistan to the
northwest and west. To the west and southwest lie Afghanistan and
Pakistan, and to the south are Tibet and India. To the east lies
China.
Eastern Turkistan is a vast land of
640,000 square kilometers---one sixth of the present Chinese
territory. Geographically, it is the China's largest province.
The Turkic population of the Uyghuristan
which possesses the same blood, language, tradition and religion
were artificially divided into Uyghur, Khazak, Kyrgiz, Uzbek and
Tatar by the Russian Red Imperialists. The latest census gives the
population of the Uyghurs as more than 7 million, the Khazaks 1
million, the Kyrgizs 150 thousand, Uzbeks 15 thousand, and the
Tatars 5 thousand. However, some unofficial Uyghur sources give an
estimated figure of more than 15 millions of Uyghurs. In addition
to these ethnic peoples, there are also Han Chinese, Manchus, Huis
and Mongols living in Uyghuristan. At the present the Uyghurs
constitute the majority population of Uyghuristan and is the main
subject of this document. However, everything stated in this
document applies equally well to the other Turkic ethnic peoples
mentioned above.
Uyghurs and Han Chinese are not of the
same race. Uyghurs is clearly a European race and look primarily
like Western Europeans. Uyghuristan is situated beyond the natural
boundary of China in a separate geographical site with 96% of its
population being Turkic peoples in 1949.
Uyghur
Civilization
Historical records show that the Uyghurs
have a history of more than 4000 years. Throughout the history the
Uyghurs developed a unique culture and civilization and made
remarkable contribution to the civilization of the world. At the
end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century,
scientific and archeological expeditions to the region of
Uyghuristan discovered numerous cave temples, monastery ruins,
wall paintings, as well as valuable miniatures, books and
documents. Explorers from Europe, America and even Japan were
astonished by the art treasures discovered in the region, and soon
their reports captured the attention of a lot of interested people
around the world. Today these relics of Uyghur culture and
civilization constitute major collections in the museums of
Berlin, London, Paris, Tokyo, Leningrad and the Museum of Central
Asian Antiquities in New Delhi.. These relics together with the
manuscripts and documents discovered in Uyghuristan reveal the
very high degree of civilization attained by the Uyghurs.
Throughout the centuries Uyghurs have
used three different scripts. Confederated with the Kok Turks in
the 6th and the 7th centuries, they used the Orkhun script. Later
they adopted what became known as the Uyghur script. This script
was used for almost 800 years not only by the Uyghurs but also by
other Turkic peoples as well as Mongols and by the Manchus in the
early stage of their rule in China. After embracing Islam in the
10th century the Uyghurs adapted the Arabic alphabet, and its use
became common in the 11th century.
Most of the early Uyghur literary works
were translations of Buddhist and Manichean religious texts, but
there were also narrative, poetic and epic works. Some of these
have been translated into German, English and Russian.
After embracing Islam the Uyghurs
continued to preserve their cultural dominance in Central Asia.
World renowned Uyghur scholars emerged, and Uyghur literature
flourished. Among the hundreds of important works surviving from
this era are the Kutat-ku Bilik by Yusuf Has Hajip (1069-70),
Divan-i Lugat-it Turk by Mahmud Kashgari, and Atabetul Hakayik by
Ahmet Yukneki.
The Uyghurs had an extensive knowledge of
medicine and medical practice. Sung Dynasty (906-960) records
indicate that and Uyghur physician, Nanto, travelled to China and
brought with him many kinds of medicine not known to the Chinese.
A total of 103 different herbs used in Uyghur medicine were
recorded in a most famous Chinese medical compendium by Shi-zhen
Li (1518-1593). It was claimed by western scholars that
acupuncture was not a Chinese, but an Uyghur discovery. In recent
years the Chinese authority has set up several institutions in
Uyghuristan to study the traditional Uyghur medicines.
Uyghurs also possessed high degree of
development in fields such as architecture, art, music and
printing. According to the work of western scholars, documents
discovered in Uyhuristan prove that an Uyghur farmer could write
down a contract using legal terminology at a time when no so
many European farmers could have done so. It was reported that the
Uyghurs knew how to print books centuries before Gutenberg
invented his press. It was also reported that in the Middle ages,
Chinese peotry, literature, theater, music adn painting were
greatly influenced by the Uyghurs. Yen-de Wang, who served as an
ambassador to the Kharahoja Uyghur Kingdom between 981 and 984,
wrote in his bibliography the following: "I was impressed with the
extensive civilization I found in the Uyghur Kingdom. The beauty
of the temples, monasteries, wall paintings, statues, towers,
gardens, houses and the palaces built throughout the kingdom
cannot be described. The Uyghurs are very skilled in handicrafts
of gold and silver, vases and potteries. Some say God has infused
this talent into this people only."
Prior to Islam, the Uyghurs believed in
religions like Shamanism, Buddhism and Manicheism. Buddhism was
introduced into Uyghuristan at the beginning of our era. It
quickly spread among the Turkic peoples of Uyghuristan. The ruins
of famous monostries known as the Ming Oy or the Thousand Buddhas
built by the Uyghurs can still be seen in the cities of Kucha,
Turfan and
Dunhuang where the Kanchou Uyghurs lived. In the city of Kucha,
there were more than 50 Buddhist temples, libraries and welfare
institutions built to support the poor. In the city of Hoten,
there were 14 large monasteries without counting the smaller ones.
The Uyghurs of Uyghuristan embraced Islam in 934, during the reign
of Satuk Bughra Khan, the Kharahanid ruler. Since that time on the
Islam continuously served Uyghurs as the only religion in
Uyghuristan until today.
The Uyghur power, prestige and culture
developed over a long history and dominated Central Asia for more
than 1000 years went into a steep decline after the Manchu
invasion of Uyghuristan, and during the rule of the nationalist
and especially the communist Chinese.
Uyghuristan is an Occupied Country
Uyghuristan has been the home of Uyghurs
for at least 2000 years, and remained as a free and independent
country during the most period of those 2000 years. However, the
Chinese has been claiming that Uyghuristan is an ancient and
inseparable part of China. Historical facts clearly show that such
a claim by China is based on a false interpretation of history and
grounded in the hope that suppression and assimilation will
eventually establish this distortion as legitimate in the eyes of
the world.
The invasion of Uyghuristan by Han
Chinese started in 104 B.C., and Uyghuristan was occupied several
times by Chinese solders, but none of these occupation lasted for
long. The following are some historical facts related to Chinese
occupation of Uyghuristan:
1) During Wu ti era, General Li Kuang occupied Uyghuristan in 104
B.C, but the people of Uyghuirstan regained their independence in
86 B.C. by defeating the Chinese solders.
2) During the Hsuan Ti era, General Chang Chi attacked Uyghuristan
and occupied it in 59 B.C. But in 10 B.C. the Khans of Uyghuristan
defeated the Chinese armies and won back their freedom.
3) During the Ming Ti era of the Second Khan Dynasty, General Pan
Chao started an internal war attacking Uyghuristan in 73 A.D. This
war lasted for 28 years. In 102 A.D. Pan Chao returned to China,
and a year later his son, Pan Yung, escaped after having been
defeated by the Khans of Uyghuristan. Thus Uyghuristan once again
regained her security and independence.
4) During the Topa (Wei) era, the east part of Uyghuristan was
obliged to submit tax to the then state from 448 to 460.
5) In 657 Kau Tsung of the Tang Dynasty conquered Uyghuristan, and
in 699 the Gok Turk Khans drove out the Chinese from Uyghuristan.
6) In 747 Hsuan Tsung dispatched the Korean General Kao Sien-chi
as a commander of a Chinese army to help some of the Uyghur Khans
who were fighting among themselves in Uyghuristan. This General,
taking advantage of Uyghuristan's internal unrest and playing a
very skillful and ruthless role, managed to incite a number of
Uyghuristan people to kill each other, and in such a way subjected
Uyghuristan to China. But the inhabitants of Uyghuristan,
obtaining help from Arabs, destroyed the forces of Kao Sien-chi
and won their freedom in 751.
That is, there were a total of 6
invasions from 104 B.C. until 751. But during that period of 855
years the Chinese invaders sustained their control over the
Uyghuristan for only 157 years, and even then, as the frequency of
invasion suggests, Chinese control over Uyghuristan was temporary
and incomplete. During the remaining 698 years of this period
Uyghuristan remained as a free and independent country.
During that period (104 BC to 751), there
were friendly relations and business connections between the
Uyghuristan and China. But certain Chinese historical books and
the present Chinese political authorities, portraying these
relations and connections in an unjust and untruthful manner, try
to use them as signs of Uyghuristan's subjection to China and most
Chinese politicians have been using it to legitimize their claim
that Uyghuristan has been an inseparable part of China.
After Arab, Turkic and Tibetan forces
repulsed the Chinese occupiers in 751 A.D., a long period of 1000
years passed before the conquest of Uyghuristan by the Manchu
rulers of China. During this period there was not a single
important relation between China and Uyghuristan. For 207 years of
this 1000 year period the Uyghurs voluntarily became a part of the
Mongol empire, where they maintained their sovereignty and played
an important cultural and political role. While the remaining
period of approximately 800 years Uyghuristan remained completely
independent and attained great progress and prosperity.
It is in 1876 when Manchurians strove to
occupy the Uyghuristan, and, after killing about one million
inhabitants, succeeded in occupying the country. The Uyghuristan
was formerly incorporated into the Manchu empire in 1884 as
Xinjiang (or Sinkyang; means "new territory") Province. Since that
time on Uyghuristan was under continuous military rule. However,
until 1949, the inhabitants of Uyghuristan staged 42 armed revolts
against the terrorist rule of the Manchu military governors (that
is, one revolt falls for every 4 years of Manchus' rule) with the
aim of regaining their independence. The Uyghurs in the southern
part of Uyghuristan established an "Eastern Turkistan Islamic
Republic" in 1933 and the inhabitants of the whole Uyghuristan
together established the second "Eastern Turkistan Republic" in
1944. The former lived for 3 years, and the latter for 5 years.
Uyghuristan was occupied by the communist
China in 1949 and its name was changed to the XUAR in 1955. The
communist China has been excersizing a colonial rule over the
Uyghuristan since then. The Uyghurs have had to undergo
unimaginable suffering and been subjugated to inhuman conditions
under the repressive alien rule. But despite all the suffering and
cultural genocide, the determination spirit of the people in
Uyghuristan remains ever strong. According to available
information from Chinese sources, despite all the risks involved,
demonstrations, protest marches and other underground political
activities organized by Uyghurs and aimed at obtaining equality,
justice and even independence for Uyghurs have never stopped in
Uyghuristan since 1954 and reached to a peak since 1996.
More Sources:
Uyghur American Association
World Uyghur Congress
International Uyghur Human Rights
and Democracy Foundation
BBC
RFA-English
Rian
Thum: The Uyghurs in Modern China
Rian
Thum: The Sacred Routes of Uyghur History
Gardner
Bovingdon: The Uyghurs: Strangers in Their Own Land
Nick
Holdstock: China's Forgotten People: Xinjiang, Terror
and the Chinese State
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