The West Uighur Kingdom on the Silk Road

Drawing on multilingual and cross-regional historical and archaeological materials, this book uses an interdisciplinary approach to reconstruct the historical landscape of the West Uighur Kingdom along the eastern Silk Road from the ninth to the thirteenth centuries. In pre-modern times, the Silk Road connected Chinese civilisation with other major world civilisations, through an expansive trade network running through western and eastern Central Asia, known collectively in China as the Western Regions. Various ethnic groups living in this vast area were responsible for maintaining the infrastructure of the Silk Road and facilitating commercial and cultural exchange between East and West. The West Uighur Kingdom, established in the eastern Tianshan, played a pivotal role in these exchanges between the ninth and thirteenth centuries. This study explores the origins and development of the kingdom through multiple lenses, covering political processes, ethnic identity, urban development and cultural heritage. It argues that the West Uighur inheritance of the Tang Dynasty’s legacy in the region was one of the key factors in sustaining and developing the Silk Road. This work makes a significant contribution to Silk Road studies and the history of the Western Regions, addressing gaps in previous historical narratives. The volume is essential reading for historians, scholars and students interested in Central Asian history, Silk Road studies, Turkology, Altaic study, and the history and ethnology of ethnic groups in north-western China.