The Far West (Xinjiang)
Photo 1 & 3: Uyghur children (Village near Yarkand)
Photo 2: Uyghurs making samosas, Monday market (Terem)
Photo 3: Kazakh yurt, TienShan (near Urumqi)
Photo 4: Kyrghiz/Tajikh men at livestock market (Terem)
Uyghur: Turkic people of central Asia, Sunni Islam, centered in Xinjiang province.
1949: People's Republic of China annexes East Turkestan, the territory of the Uyghur people; renames the
area 'Xinjiang' -- "New Frontier." 'Resettlement Programs' begin bringing in thousands of Han Chinese -- over the next 50 years, the Uyghur population in Xinjiang drops from 90% to 45% and is still decreasing, along with the influence of its culture and language.
2001: Riding the wake of America's "War on Terror," the Chinese government implements repressive religious controls against the Uygur people: government breaks up established communities by bulldozing adobes, and confiscates passports (making pilgrimage to Mecca impossible).
