THE UIGHUR RACE OF SINKIANG

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600030173-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 2, 2011
• Sequence Number: 173
• Publication Date: November 4, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

CLASSIFICATION $~CO:u'IDEP7PLh.*
-~ CENTRAL ItVTELLfGE1VL~r~GENCY N
INFORNdA~IC`iN REPuiRT
COUNTRY Chi::a (Sink.?ang Proving)
T_he Jighur Race of Sinkiang
CD N0.
DATE DISTR. !~ Non 52
NO OF PAGES 6
N0. OF ENCLS.
lLi ;7ED BELOWI
SUPPLEMENT TO
R'=PORT N0.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/14 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000600030173-7
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2 , ;~~ i_n $i nlci env: The Uighur race of Sinkiang 1a also referred to, bath in Sinki.uig and
in k~gliah-1 a texts on that province, as IIigu., Wei-wtr nth, Hui-hui, Chan Hui
(Turbaned Moslems ,Chan-t'ou (Turban vead4), Chants, Moslem, Sant snd Turki. According
to a 1961 survey they number ed 2,900,173, or a little less than Sup of the total popu-
lation of Sinkiang. Eecauee the Uighurs are the predominant race of Sinkiang thev have,
in the past, been referred to by the name of the oases that they reei.3ed in, such as
iurfanliks, Keahsesrliks, Qomuliks, etc.
?, Qrtv~n of the ldame: H.is+ortcelZ,v, the name Uighur first appeared in records of the
1'sng Dyna~B-9u7 A D) as tae name cf a tritu~, ~orfederatf.on of pastoral nomads
living along the Selenga River, in what 1~ now the ac^thern pe~ri of the Mongolian
People's Republic. Prior to 1934r when Governer Shang Sb.'.h-tsai revived the use of
this name in Si.nkiar~. the Uighura were referred to o~sly by the Wane of the particular
oasis that they inhabited.
3, ie~rv of the ?see: The Uighur8 are a highly civilised race th8~ inhabitui CF_tral ?sie
over a thousand years ego. In 84u the Uighur power is Nbngolia wsa destroyed. by the
Kirghiz. The IIighur warriors were subsequently forced to withdraw to th= routhwPat,
where they took over the oases north of the Tien Shan range. They later infi.?trated, in
large nu3oers, into the oases south of the mountains and made themselves rulers of the
indigenous population. Ths people among whom the Uighurs settled absorbed them, but
adopted Their name and tongue. Tuese people then enjeyed several flourishissg civili-
zations any are considered to be the orJ.y original inhabitants of Siakiaag. The
period of Uighur daatiriation was brought to an eud in the twelfth century by the im~8aion
of the Khcrs Khitai who were in turn overthrown by GPayghi.s Khan. The Mongol Khans
continued to rule over this area until 1566, when the local Hod,~as Uighur prelatos:
took over complete control. Their influence continued to some ezton~ even efts"' the
invasion of the Jungar Mongols is 165iJ sad the replaceaant of Jungar rate by the
Manchus is 1756. The Sinkiang Uiahura of +,oday era considered to be of Yranisa-Turkic
origin and cloee~ related to the ancient IIighur race.
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,-? ~~.~,:~~, r_ +},~ pro,-o,n cf arlal~ame?ing wish the indoencu~ nopala+.ion of Sinkissil;,
the Ulghurs ~.'erts eblP to iapuse their pun language on th? other.? people. Their
presen+-tiny lang:a~e is uniform except for a'ninor differences of dialect. It is
the Uighur dialect of the Turkic language and falls into the Altaic group of the
linguistic families, Uighur is written with the Arabic script, which is no more e,iited
to it than it is to other ~ u?kic langie~;es. Those Uighuro who can only read the
langz:~e era Balled '.'.ore, the fully literate take the title of Ahun.
-? FaG1i~J.GA~ Thy 1`ighure, prior to their withdrawal to the Tarim L'esin ~f Sinkiang,
he,i sireei~: lilt *.he influ.ence of 'anichaej.s:n through traders. After their contact
uitr_ one inhabitants of :iinkiant;, 'nani Uighu_*s were converted to Buddhism. noth
gro~ip, were also influenced at. en early period by Alestorian Christiatrity, In the
eig}: th ~?~nt?jry, siren '~c+:h i ibet.an and drat attacks for. cad the Chinese armies of
vacs iisien-rhih to fy.tl beak in reirea+ ;ro:'~ Sinkisngr the iTighu_~s t:irned to Islas.
Ai?.bcu:ric': g' ,~om.e other iQohaanedans in their
obi.: t-,:nc~ of the t;rinc:ntes of thr Koran, but ',te, Jr-, have Erea? reverence for the
"y,~y _=_i~~iic rites end ob~~rvances,
::: the h~.usdred .-nd fourt~e^ chspt.ers of the Koran they find instruction in evert
q'rest?ion of cord>>ct, This sacred book is the anal?ered code of their life. The
:^ost irnor+.an`. rosit.ions in t:~e :~C+41a-~ Church are held by rsligicus leaders who
h"va i "-h?r 1.??.~ th?L" pee+...~ f: c a lc:,g line of euic:ae+.ors and moat of whom era
T elated *.o thF large lendoxner.s and oi'ficisls who do:aina.#e Uighur society. Not
su^pri