RELIGUR

Religious History of the Uyghurs. Network and Exchange in Central and East Asia (9th-14th century)

The Uyghurs, a Turkic-speaking nomadic tribe, originally lived in the Mongolian highlands. In the 9th century, they migrated to Turfan in eastern Central Asia (today: Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China), which brought about some important social changes for them. One of the most important changes was the Uyghurs' conversion to Buddhism. While they had previously been followers of Manichaeism, they adopted Buddhism as a new and predominant belief through contact with the local Buddhist population in Turfan and through exchanges with the surrounding Buddhist-influenced areas.

Buddhism was undoubtedly a determining factor in shaping Uyghur society before its Islamization (9th to 14th centuries), but the details of Uyghur Buddhist practice remain unclear due to a lack of sources. For example, no state/royal library or treasury has been found that could provide material on this subject. The few written and visual testimonies found during the archaeological expeditions to the Turfan region are therefore of particular importance.

The Uyghurs have absorbed various Buddhist ideas from different groups, which has also led to their religious transformation. These groups lived not only in the Uyghur-ruled Turfan region, but also in other parts of Central and East Asia, with which the Uyghurs established diplomatic and economic relations. Religious exchange also took place via this 'network'. In order to research the religious history of the Uyghurs, it is therefore necessary to first understand this network. The relevant questions for researching the network are:

1. How did the Uyghurs establish their network in Central and East Asia between the 9th and 14th centuries? 
2. Which exchanges took place with which group on the basis of this network?
3. How was this exchange reflected in the religious history of the Uyghurs? 

The aim of the project is to investigate the Uyghur network, to reconstruct religious exchange that took place on the basis of this network, and to understand the religious history of the Uyghurs.

Duration:

10.2024-09.2029

Funded by: