In Photos: Uighur Muslims in China

The Uighur people are a Turkic ethnic group native to the Altay Mountains in Central Asia. Throughout their 4000-year history, the Uighurs developed an advanced culture and played an important role in cultural exchanges along the Silk Road. During the 8th-19th centuries, the Uighur empire was a dominant force in Central Asia. The Manchu invasion in the 1800s, and nationalist and communist forces from China and Russia, have caused Uighurs culture to fall into decline. Uighurs are predominately Sunni Muslims. Historically, Islam came to the region in the 10th century. Prior to Islam, the Uighurs embraced Buddhism, Shamanism, and Manicheism.