The world today is estimated to consist of over one hundred thousand ethnic groups, and this is according to the latest data. These groups are classified in accordance with their cultural heritage, history, homeland, and beliefs.
Just like with any other groups, there are the majority ethnic groups as well as the minority ethnic groups. Today, we have other groups that are yet to be documented and classified according to the UN.
Uyghur are among the minority ethnic groups of this time. Their origin can be traced back to Turkey even though they currently live in Central and East Asia. Their residence is in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China. China has recognized them as among the 55 minority ethnic groups.
Even though the majority of the Uyghur people are in China, they can also be found in other countries. Kazakhstan is the second country that has a huge number of Uyghur populations standing at over 200,000 by 2010. Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are next with over 100,000 combined. Ironically, Turkey has slightly over 45,000 of the Uygur.
They have small numbers spread across the world. This group has been known by the name Turks due to their language.
The Uyghurs were officially labeled to be the most ancient ethnic group by the 19th Century encyclopedia. Their history dates back to the 2nd Century. The 15th century marks the time when the Uyghur name was lost but later on, in time it was reintroduced. People use this name to address the entire group rather than a specific group.
Ughurs might be among the minority ethnic groups, but they enjoy a huge and long history. They follow their ancestor’s beliefs and have remained committed to this practice.
Their economic activities involve farming, black smith, and baking in this region. Other than that, there are some who carry out pastoralism as their main source of income.
Their primary languages are the Chinese language and Uyghur. They are also Muslims who practice Sunni Islam. They are closely related to the Karluks, Tocharians, and the Turkic people.
The Uyghur people spread across the world when their kingdoms collapsed. They formed the Ganzhou kingdom that was in China. People believe that the current Uyghur people are descendants of this kingdom.
The Uyghur are among the few groups that have had a chance of being themselves without being influenced by other ethnic groups today. Learn more about Uygur at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghur.
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