Understanding Uyghur life through first-hand experience

By Ercan Kucuk, Editor in Chief of RÖPORTAJLIK

Girls dances to the Uyghur music performed by an Uyghur traditional band at Urumuqi International Grand Bazzare, northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. (Photo provided to Guangming Online)

I have been researching and writing about the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and the imperialist-backed claims and facts about the region for about 6 years. I have written dozens of news articles on the subject and even a documentary called “The Two Sides of the Coin: Uyghurs in Türkiye.” Therefore, I’m well aware of the discussions and writings about the region. However, I had not been there before. It was therefore much more important to go to the region and see it with my own eyes.

At the invitation of the Guangming Daily, one of China’s leading newspapers, we went to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region with journalist and director friends. The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is China’s gateway to the West. We went to the capital of the region, Urumqi, which is also the starting point of the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as Nalati, Yining, Kucha, and Kashi.

Probably one of the most frequently asked questions about our visit is whether Uyghurs can live their culture and use their language freely. It is important to note that the concerns often debated in Türkiye are quite different from the daily realities of Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

Education in native languages

In all the cities we visited except for Ili, which is a Kazakh-majority region, Uyghurs are the majority. Starting from Urumqi Airport, the Uyghur language, which uses the Arabic alphabet, is seen and heard throughout the region. It is mandatory to use Uyghur and Chinese, especially in state institutions and on public signs. In private businesses, this is optional. Those who want to use Uyghur on their signs are not prevented. Even the announcements at airports and on planes were in Uyghur. It was also notable for encountering names such as Abdureshid, Selahattin, and Abduselam among the Uyghurs, which reflect their cultural heritage.

Uyghur education is also available in schools. In regions where there are Uyghurs, students are taught in Chinese, Uyghur, and English, while in regions where there are Kazakhs, they are taught in Chinese, Kazakh, and English. Uyghur has also entered the country’s currency, the Yuan. One of the languages used in the Yuan alongside Chairman Mao’s portrait is Uyghur.

Uyghur music and traditional clothes

We visited the Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar in Urumqi, Liuxing Street in Yining, and the Old City of Kashi. The markets were filled with the rich aromas of Uyghur cuisine and bustling with thousands of locals and visitors. We freely roamed the stalls, interacted with shopkeepers, and enjoyed the lively atmosphere there. In Urumqi, we saw Uyghur men playing music with Uyghur musical instruments and a little Uyghur girl who lost herself in the rhythm of the music, as well as those selling yogurt with various fruits on top, and those who would draw your caricature in 5 minutes. Here, I took photos with both the Uyghur men wearing doppas and the Uyghur girls walking around in ethnic clothes. Taking photos in ethnic clothes in the region is quite popular, especially among domestic tourists. It was heartwarming to see locals express joy upon learning we were from Türkiye.

Smiling faces when Türkiye is mentioned

There are many restaurants and shops dominated by Uyghur and Kazakh cultures on Liuxing Street, which is famous for its special hexagonal structure extending from a round center to six main streets.

My favorite places in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region were Kashi and Nalati. The latter is a Kazakh town at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains. It is possible to see the Uyghur culture in its entirety in the bazaar in Kashi. Uyghur ethnic hats, dabbas, traditional clothes, and Uyghur musical instruments such as dutar are in almost every shop. In this bazaar, where we went to the shops we wanted, the Uyghurs were happy to learn that we came from Türkiye. They spoke Uyghur while we spoke Turkish, some of whom also offered special discounts for us on the prices. In the Horgos China-Kazakhstan International Free Trade Zone, we walked around with a Uyghur friend speaking Uyghur, and I spoke Turkish to him. In Kashi, Uyghur writings are also noticeable on the streets where tourists show great interest and take photos.

We watched and listened to ethnic shows and songs of Uyghurs and Kazakhs in many places. But I would recommend everyone to watch the show ‘Fragrant Concubine’ in Kashi, which has an important place in Uyghur and Chinese history. The graves of the family of the ‘Fragrant Concubine’, also known as Iparhan and Dilşad Hatun, are also protected in a cemetery specially built for them. Taking photos in the cemetery is forbidden. Frankly, I must say that I broke the rules and took photos there.

Prayer at Id Kah Mosque

One of the topics of curiosity about the region is the freedom of worship of the Uyghurs. We visited the Yanghang Mosque in Urumqi and the historic Id Kah Mosque in Kashi. The Yanghang Mosque, one of the largest in Urumqi, was built in 1897. The mosque was previously visited by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, Hakan Fidan, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The Imam of the Mosque, Muhterem Sharif, who is also the Vice President of the Xinjiang Islamic Religious Federation, said that Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and Huis come to the 3-story mosque with an area of 5,000 square meters and that there are also people from countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan. Imam Sharif said that 300-350 people come to the mosque, which is open all the time, on Fridays and more than 3,000 people come to worship on religious holidays. The mosque also has a library with Qurans written in Uyghur, Chinese, Arabic, and Kazakh. The Quran I examined in the mosque was in Uyghur. Imam Sharif said the following in response to a question by T24 writer Aslı Atasoy:

“Radical thought does not belong to our religion. Islam actually opposes it. The Prophet Muhammad has a hadith on this subject. Let’s not go to extremes in religion. Many ethnic groups before have disappeared because they went to extremes.”

Ercan Kucuk (L) and Muhterem Sharif (C) at Yanghang Mosque in Urumuqi, northwest China's Uyhgur Autonomous Region. (Photo provided to Guangming Online)

The other mosque we visited, Id Kah Mosque, has been standing for about 600 years. As a historical mosque of the ancient city of Kashi, Id Kah Mosque is open to tourists outside of prayer hours, similar to our Sultanahmet Mosque. I also had the pleasure of sitting and praying in the historical mosque outside of prayer hours.

In conclusion

The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is home to many ethnic groups, primarily the Uyghurs. In these ancient lands where settlements have been held for thousands of years and civilizations have been established, the antidote to ethnic sedition is to share a multicultural and equal life. This is achieved by people being able to live their languages, cultures, and religious beliefs equally and freely. The fact that some Uyghurs and Kazakhs we spoke to used the phrases, “I am Uyghur, I am Kazakh. But I am a Chinese citizen. This is my country, my state,” is even more meaningful in this respect.