The Uighurs, also written as Uyghurs, are a Turkic people of China. Before the Uighurs established their own ruling Kaghanate, the Turgis reigned over Central Asian cities and parts of the Eastern Steppe. The Turgis influenced Silk Road trade across important Central Asian cities. Their reign over Central Asia ended due to continuous attacks by various Arab and Chinese groups. Meanwhile along the Eastern Steppe, the Turgis Kaghanate was disrupted by the deaths of its leaders in 734. This allowed the Uighurs, alongside the Basmil and Karluks, to overthrow the Turgis. With the Turgis defeated, the three groups then fought one another. Ultimately, the Uighurs prevailed over their enemies and established their Kaghanate in 744.[1]
During the overthrow of the Turk Empire, the Tang Dynasty of China needed assistance in dealing with the An Lushan rebellion. The Tang Dynasty abandoned their influence over Central Asia to attempt to quell the rebellion. The rebels, led by An Rokhshan, were able to gain control of a significant portion of Tang China. Emperor Xuanzong resorted to hiring Uighur mercenaries for assistance in ending the rebellion. The Uighurs ended up stationed in Luoyang while fighting for the Chinese. Here in the year 762, the Uighur kaghan met a Sogdian who taught him a basic understanding of the Manichean religion. The kaghan then chose to make Manichaeism the official religion of the Uighurs. In fact, this was the first instance where Manichaeism was named an official religion. This decision would greatly affect the future of the Uighur people.[2]
Following the An Lushan rebellion, the Uighur Kaghanate found themselves in new conflicts with the Tibetans and one of their oldest enemies, the Kirghiz. The Tibetans fought with the Tang Dynasty over territories such as Beiting and Turfan. The Tibetans remained in control over Turfan, a city in the middle of China and the Iranian world, until the Uighurs gained control in 803. Over the next several decades, the Uighurs lost control to the Kirghiz and retreated to Turfan. The Uighur Kaghanate was established at the new capital, Gaochang City. The Uighur defeat on the Eastern Steppe left them spreading in many directions while Mongolian people began to occupy the Steppe. A large portion of Uighurs settled in Tang occupied China as refugees but refused to submit to Chinese rule. Eventually, the Tang decided to raid Uighur settlements and killed most of these refugees. This led to a period of Manichean oppression in China. The Chinese closed temples, killed Manichean priests, and attacked other minority religions as well.
The reach of Uighur influence over the Silk Road is evident across a great span. One of the most important locations of the Silk Road, Dunhuang, contains thousands of various documents and artifacts. These documents include primarily Buddhist texts; although, it features documents from other religions such as Manichaeism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Christianity. The documents also contain a wide variety of written languages like Sanskrit, Tibetan, Sogdian, Uighur, etc. Dunhuang is home to the largest collection of diverse documents, artifacts, and paintings. The Manichean religion and Uighur language were preserved in Dunhuang. Some Manichean texts in Dunhuang were translated from documents straight from Turfan while one closely resembled a Chinese text. A home to such diverse documents and images shows the blending of cultures along the Silk Road. The Uighurs are no exception to spreading their language, religion, trade, and influence across the Silk Road.
[1] This is the text of footnote one.
[2] This is the text of footnote two.
Hansen, Valerie. The Silk Road: A New History with Documents Oxford University Press, 2017.
Beckwith, Christopher I. Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present. Princeton Univesity Press, 2009. pitt.primo.exlibrisgroup.com,, http://hdl.handle.net/2027/heb.30952.