History of the Uyghur

The Uyghur people are a Turkic ethnic group from East Asia. They have their own distinct language. The language is very similar to Turkish. The Uyghur people use the persian alphabet to write out their language.
They are native to the Altay Mountains in Central Asia. Most of them live in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China. In the region, they are one of the largest ethnic groups. There are around 11-15 million Uyghur people in this specific region.
Prior to 1921, different turkic groups in Xinjiang called themselves by the oasis near where they were located. In 1921 is when they chose to mark their identity using the Uyghur name. The term Uyghur means "united" or "alliance". It is synonymous with the Turkish name "Tokuz-Oguz". That name means "nine tribes".
The Uyghur's have played a very important role involving cultural exchanges along the Silk Road. Throughout the 8th-19th centuries their empire was a dominant force in Central Asia. In the 1800's, the Manchu invasion caused the Uyghur culture to fall into decline. Communist and nationalist forces also took part in this fall.