East Turkestan: China's lost border { 16 images } Created 27 Feb 2012
The Uighurs are an ethnically Turkic Muslim people who have lived in what is now known as the Xinjiang
Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) for over 4,000 years. Known as Eastern Turkestan for hundreds of years,
Xinjiang is located along the famous "Silk Road", beyond the Great Wall, the natural boundary of China, in Central asia. Islam
entered the region in the middle of the tenth century and has flourished among the Uighurs ever since. The
Uighurs ruled an independent kingdom, with a mixed Muslim and Buddhist population, that stood until 1759,
when the Manchu Chinese invaded and destroyed it; their domination lasted until 1864. During this period, the
Uighurs revolted 42 times against Manchu rule, trying to regain their independence. In the revolt of 1864, the
Uighurs were successful in expelling the Manchu from East Turkestan, and founded the independent Kashgaria
kingdom under the leadership of Yakub Beg. This kingdom was recognized by the Ottoman Empire, Tsarist
Russia and Britain.
Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) for over 4,000 years. Known as Eastern Turkestan for hundreds of years,
Xinjiang is located along the famous "Silk Road", beyond the Great Wall, the natural boundary of China, in Central asia. Islam
entered the region in the middle of the tenth century and has flourished among the Uighurs ever since. The
Uighurs ruled an independent kingdom, with a mixed Muslim and Buddhist population, that stood until 1759,
when the Manchu Chinese invaded and destroyed it; their domination lasted until 1864. During this period, the
Uighurs revolted 42 times against Manchu rule, trying to regain their independence. In the revolt of 1864, the
Uighurs were successful in expelling the Manchu from East Turkestan, and founded the independent Kashgaria
kingdom under the leadership of Yakub Beg. This kingdom was recognized by the Ottoman Empire, Tsarist
Russia and Britain.
