Uyghur Twelve Muqams

Muqams were often performed for royalty, but they also were held locally for village gatherings or other special events. These days, there are no festivals held in Xinjiang ( the northwestern province of China) without a muqam. The different regions of Xinjiang each have their own distinct format. In particular, the Kashgar region is famous for their Twelve Muqams, an ancient collection of musical compositions and lyrics that are still performed today. Known as the Mother of Music, these suites embody a concentranted reflection of the wisdom and talent of the Uyghur People in musical creation. The Twelve Muqams include 170 songs and dance tunes, and an addtional 72 instrumental pieces. The entire work takes over 24 hours to perfom from begining to end. Usually, just one muqam is performed over about two hours.The Uyghurs are masters with heteromodal music, and in no place is that more apparent than during a muqam. Often a piece will begin in a heptatonic (Western) scale and end in a pentatonic (Chinese) scale. The way the notes slide in and out and shift scales is very different from western music, and makes the muqam extremely unique.The instruments of the muqam are the instruments of the Uyghur people. The satar is usually featured, along with the tembor or dutar. The rawaps hold the rythm along with the daps. The ghijek and khushtar provide flowing melodies, and many other precussion, wind and stringed instruments fill out the gallery. Many of these instruments can be found at our store, The Camel's Back. In the poster, you can see a man in the center playing the satar, and the man to his left, playing an 11-string khushtar.

Uyghur language

Geographic distributionUyghur is spoken by 8.5 million (2004) in China, mostly in the far western Xinjiang Autonomous Region. Uyghur is also spoken by 300,000 in Kazakhstan, and there are Uyghur-speaking communities in Afghanistan, Australia, Germany, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Turkey, United Kingdom, USA, and Uzbekistan.HistoryLike the Uzbek language, the Uyghur language is descended from Chagatay Turkic common to Central Asian regions under the Chagatay and Timurid dyansties between 13 and 19th centuries. The Chagatay Turkic language in turn owed its origin in the Turkic dialects of the Qarluks and the Karakhanid state, centered around Kashgar. Contrary to some official histories, the Idikut states of Hami and Turpan, which would be properly labeled "Uyghur" during the Karakhanid and Mongol Yuan periods, spoke a dialect closer to Yugur than to Qarluk-Karakhanid. However these oases came under Chagatay and Timurid rule later in the 14th century, and slowly adopted the common language of the Muslim state when their own Buddhist culture eventually died out. Whereas colloquial Chagatay Turkic in Uzbekistan came under heavy modification by absorbing a Tajik Language substrate and a Tatar or Kazakh superstrate, the local variants in what is today Xinjiang came into contact with substratal local languages in Khotan, Qomul (Hami), Turpan and Gulja (Ili), notably the Indo-European substrates of Khotan and Turpan, and the distinctive Turkic language in Hami and Turpan closer to Yugur than Chagatay Turkic. Kashgar, being an important political and religious center of the Xinjiang Chagatayid states, gave rise to a Kashgarlik variety of the language with great currency in inter-oasis trade. However, since the 19th century Jadid Movement in Xinjiang, the Ili variety, one developed rather recently by Uyghur migrants from all oases since as late as 17th century, became the basis for modern standard Uyghur. This owed much to the strategic location of Ili being an entrepot between Xinjiang and Soviet, Uzbek and Afghan Central Asia, to the relative modern outlook of the Ililik intellegentsia, and to the homogeneous nature of the Ililik dialect as combining features from dialects of all Uyghur oases.Official statusThe Uyghurs are one of the 56 official nationalities in China, and Uyghur is an official language of Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.DialectsThe dialects of Uyghur identified by the Ethnologue are Central Uyghur, Hotan (Hetian), and Lop (Luobu). There are two main languages in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region: Uyghur and Chinese. Chinese is not used widely in southern Xinjiang. About 80 newspapers and magazines are available in Uighur; five TV channels and ten publishers serve as the Uighur media.All of the information and news provided has to be permitted by governmental offices.

Uyghur Tembor

The Uyghur Tembor is the longest of the Uyghur lute family. At 140cm (4'7"), or longer, it is capable of producing some of the deepest and strongest tones in the Uyghur repertoire. It is a plucked instrument, with 5 strinThe Uyghur Tembor is the longest of the Uyghur lute family. At 140cm (4'7"), or longer, it is capable of producing some of the deepest and strongest tones in the Uyghur repertoire. It is a plucked instrument, with 5 strings, tuned A A D G G. The strings are meant to compliment each other, creating sympathetic sounds and giving the instrument a full, sonorous timbre.It is one of the formost intruments used in Uyghur music, mostly used in the muqam or for accompanying a folksong. It enjoys a position close to the satar in importance within the sacred Twelve Muqams. The tembor is often found in the middle of a group of people, creating the stunning melody over which a story is being sung, or providing the rythmic beats for the dancers to step to.Our tembor is 140cm, with five steel strings, and is crafted with wood from the mulberry tree. It has 30 frets along the neck, chromatically placed to help you find the notes. Many colorful decorations adorn the front, back and neck. These patterns and colors are rich in meaning with the Uyghur. The neck is held in the left hand, and the bowl rests at your feet. You pluck the upper melodic strings, and the others reverberate automatically. If you are familiar with lute playing, the tembor should not have a high learning curve.The Uyghur historian Mojizi credits the people of the Dolan region of Xinjiang with creating the first lutes 6000 years ago. Through the centuries, the current tembor seems to have evolved from the ancient berbab instrument, another five stringed lute. The tembor, or berbab, even appears in the Buddhist cave paintings at Dunhuang, which date back to the 4th century CE. The tembor is a common name for a lute within the Persian world, but the Uyghur tembor is unique with its five strings and special decoration. gs, tuned A A D G G. The strings are meant to compliment each other, creating sympathetic sounds and giving the instrument a full, sonorous timbre.It is one of the formost intruments used in Uyghur music, mostly used in the muqam or for accompanying a folksong. It enjoys a position close to the satar in importance within the sacred Twelve Muqams. The tembor is often found in the middle of a group of people, creating the stunning melody over which a story is being sung, or providing the rythmic beats for the dancers to step to.Our tembor is 140cm, with five steel strings, and is crafted with wood from the mulberry tree. It has 30 frets along the neck, chromatically placed to help you find the notes. Many colorful decorations adorn the front, back and neck. These patterns and colors are rich in meaning with the Uyghur. The neck is held in the left hand, and the bowl rests at your feet. You pluck the upper melodic strings, and the others reverberate automatically. If you are familiar with lute playing, the tembor should not have a high learning curve.The Uyghur historian Mojizi credits the people of the Dolan region of Xinjiang with creating the first lutes 6000 years ago. Through the centuries, the current tembor seems to have evolved from the ancient berbab instrument, another five stringed lute. The tembor, or berbab, even appears in the Buddhist cave paintings at Dunhuang, which date back to the 4th century CE. The tembor is a common name for a lute within the Persian world, but the Uyghur tembor is unique with its five strings and special decoration.

uyghur instrument dutar

The Dutar is a long 2-stringed lute that is ubiquitous among the Uyghur. It's two silk strings are tuned a fourth or a fifth apart. There are 17 chromatic frets along the neck, and the entire instrument is about 130cm (4'3") long. It is carved from the wood of the mulberry tree, and decorated with colorful ornaments on both the front and back sides.The dutar is plucked, usually focusing on the upper string while occasionally thumbing the lower string for contrast. It commonly accompanies a singer for traditional folk music, and can also be seen taking part in a muqam. Also, it is the only instrument that has traditionally been played by Uyghur women.Walking into a home in the Uyghur region, it is almost certian that you will see a dutar hanging on a wall. It is used in the family to train young musicians, or to enjoy a song together. The songs the Uyghurs sing are very often stories of tragic love. They also speak of local histories or religious themes. Music is a very important part of Uyghur culture, as can be seen by their phenomenal muqams and the appearance of music in every part of society. The dutar is the instrument that many Uyghurs can play, allowing them to take part in their colletive histories, passing their culture from generation to generation

Thin-wrapper steamed stuffed bun

Thin-wrapper steamed stuffed bun (Pitirmanta in Uyghur)

It is a kind of steamed bun having mutton and onion as fillings. It is so-called because its wrapper is as thin as a piece of paper. First chop the mutton, beef and sheep's-tail fat into small cubes. Add chopped onions, salt and pepper to make the stuffing. Wrap the stuffing in dough, and put in bamboo steamer to cook for 20 minutes. The steamed buns are thin-skinned, with tender meat stuffing and very delicious. The Uygurs often eat these together with nang (crusty pancakes) and rice to be eaten with the hands.

Roast Dumplings(samsa)

Roast Dumplings(samsa)

First chop the mutton, beef and sheep's-tail fat into small cubes. Add chopped onions, salt and pepper to make the stuffing. Wrap the stuffing in dough, and put in an oven to roast for 20 minutes. The dumplings are thin-skinned, with tender meat stuffing and very delicious. The Uyghurs often eat these together with nan(crusty pancakes) and rice to be eaten with the hands.

Deep-Fried Dough Twists（sangza)

Sangza(Deep-Fried Dough Twists)Sangza is one of traditional snacks of the Moslems. To make sangza, use wheat flour mixed with vegetable oil and juice of the Chinese prickly ash. Knead the dough repeatedly, and then divide it into several pieces. Pull the dough into thin noodles and deep-fry in oil until golden yellow. During festivals, every Uygur family makes sangza to treat guests

Laghman Noodles

Laghman Noodles (Pulled Noodles) , known in Chinese as Laghman or Laghman are popular with many ethnic groups in Xinjiang and the rest of China. The noodles are pliable and tough, smooth and delicious. The name Laghman means 'pulled noodles'. The noodle dough is pulled in a special way to create thinner and thinner strings of dough, and finally, noodles! Then the noodles are boiled quickly and various ingredients are added, including oil, mutton pieces, cooked tomato and chili peppers. Sometimes the noodles are stir-fried along with these

Uyghur Foods Roast Meat（Kawap）

Roast meat is the most attractive food among the local delicacies in Xinjiang. There are a great variety of roast meat such as the kebob, chopped entrails, whole lamb, meat baked in tonnir, etc. If you do not taste roast mutton after you reach Xinjiang, it would be a great pity. Xinjiang mutton is unique in that sheep are fed with grass grow on land rich in alkaline. So mutton here is more delicious.(1) Kebob. One can find Kebobs in every bazaar or street ofXinjiang. It is roasted above a special iron oven about 1 meter long and 20 centimeters wide. Some have two layers, separated by clapboard with countless vents. In the past charcoal is used but now coal has replaced it. Light the charcoal fire until it nearly burn out, then lay the sliced mutton over it with refined salt, chili powder, and ziyadan. If there is no breeze, the cook will use a thin wooden board to increase the fire. He will turn the meat bunch continuously. In five minutes, the delicious kebob is ready. Recently, electric oven are used which are more convenient and efficient.Kebobs are popular in Xinjiang. Some can eat several dozen of bunches at one time. In winter, customers sit in front of the roast meat stand, eating Kebobs while getting warmth by fire.According to archaeological materials, as early as 1800 years ago, there are kebobs in the central plains of China.(2) Meat Roasted in Tonnor.This kind of barbecue is roasted from the heat in the tonnor (a special oven for baking Nang). Heat the tonnor with firewood. Then put square mutton with a side length of about ten centimeters dipped in a paste mixed with egg, refined salt, first-class flour, and ziyadan on the inside wall of the tonnor. Cover the tonnor with lighting wood. Thirty minutes later, take the meat out, cut them into small pieces, and eat them with refined salt.(3) Roast Lamb.It is one of the most famous dishes in Xinjiang and usually served on important banquets. Roast lamb is a magnificent thing. The complex flavor is bold yet delicate, the texture is a study in contrasts between the crisp, flavorful exterior and the tender, juicy interior, and the heady aroma brings a tear of joy to the eye and a bit of drool to the chin.

polo

PoloPolo (the cooking material of which is mainly mutton, carrot, oil and rice) is one of the local flavors of the Uyghur, Uzbeks, etc. with which to entertain their guests. On festive occasions or at the wedding breakfast, polo is indispensable for treating the guests. The traditional custom of dining is that the guests are asked to sit round the kang, in the centre of which a clean tablecloth is laid. The host or hostess, with a basin in one hand and a kettle in the other, asks the guests to drip-wash their hands one by one, and hands them a towel to clean their hands. After the guests have sat down, the host will carry several trays of polo and invite them to eat it directly from the tray by hand.Cooking method and its legendIts cooking material is mainly mutton, carrot, oil and rice. First cut mutton into small square and cook it with edible oil. After a while, add some onion, carrots, water and refined salt. Twenty minute later put rice in. Wait for another forty minutes, polo is done.The legend goes like this. It is said that more that one thousands years ago, a doctor named Abuduaili was in poor health in his old age. No medicine can help him. Later, he cooked a meal for himself and ate it two times a day. Half a month later, he recovered. His neighbors was amazed by the fact and asked him about it. He told the secret to them and the recipe was passed around. That’s is polo today.

uyghur nan

xininag is not only “Town of Music and Dance”, “Town of Fruits and Melons”, but also a place with typical local flavors.Roast Nang (flat bread)When you come to Kashi, whether it is in a city, countryside, a street or an alley, on a jubilation-wedding banquet, or in a camel team, you can find and taste a kind of round roasted bread, i.e. the traditional Uyghur staple food - Nang. It is everyday food of Uyghur, which is as important as steamed breads to the northerners and rice to the Southerners.According to textual research, the word Nang came from Persian, which was popular in Arabian Peninsula, Turkey, center Asia various countries. Uyghur originally called it “Aimaik”, after Islam was spread to Xinjiang it was changed for “Nang”.At present there are approximately 50 kinds of Nang, such as Nang with meat, oil, sesame, and so on. Different Nangs are for different occasions. Big Nangs such as "Aimaike" and "Shearman" are mainly for holidays and joyous occasions. Small portable Nangs such as "Tuachi" and "Katili" are food while people out touring or working.Most nangs are baked with wheat-flour, corn or rice flour. They are named from their ingredients, shape and roast methods. Nang with lamb oil in it are called oil Nang, Nangs with ziyadan (seeds of a kind of grass), mutton cubes and spices such as pepper and onion fillings are meat Nang; Nangs with sesames and grape are called sesame Nang.Nangs are baked in a stove called tonnir that has a big stomach and a little mouth that is made from sun-dried earth bricks. First heat the tonnir with firewood or charcoal. When the flame is to extinguish, put the dough on the inside walls of the tonnir. About 20 minutes later Nang is ready to eat.Hot Nang is crisp and tasty. Uyghur often eat it with tea and mutton Kebab (roast mutton). In autumn, when grapes are ripe, they eat it with grapes, which are said to be more tasty and nutritious. Nang with only a little water in it do not go moldy easily and is easy to preserve. In harvest seasons, farmers usually carry with them several dozens of Nangs.So do those out traveling or working in the Gobi desert. A few minutes after they bury nang under the hot sand, it will become crisp and delicious. A nang with a history of 1000 years has been evacuated which still did not go mold. It is said that when Chinese monk Xuanzang of Tang Dynasty went through Gobi desert he had nangs with him that fended him off hunger. According to record, as early as Han or Wei Dynasty, there were Nangs selling in the markets of Chang’an. It is also said that, after “the revolt of An Lushan of Shi Siming”, Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty ate Nang bought by the brother of Yang Guifei

Uyghur (China)Also written Uyghur (Chinese gov't); Uighur (some linguists); Wei-wu-er-zu (Mandarin)For centuries the Uyghur people were an important link between China and the rest of the world. Uyghur communities were typically based in oases or fertile valleys, growing cereals and fruit. The strategic importance of these oasis bazaars enabled many Uyghur traders to become key middlemen on the Silk Road caravan routes between the Orient and Europe.PopulationOver 9.3 million Uyghurs live in China in an area now known as Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Some major cities in the east and south of China also have small Uyghur communities. Several hundred thousand Uyghurs live in communities worldwide in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, in Turkey, Europe, North America and Australia. Present-day Xinjiang is a vast 637,000 square mile region of steppe, desert and mountains.LanguageUyghur is a Turkic language of the Altaic family related to Uzbek, Turkish, Kazakh and Kyrgyz. The Uyghurs in Xinjiang write their language in a modified Arabic script. Cyrillic and Latin scripts were also in use between 1950 and 1980. Around 1980 a new Arabic script was introduced which has since been the standard alphabet.LivelihoodTraditionally farmers and shepherds, the Uyghurs have made their homes in teh many oases of the Tarim basin, containing one of the most arid deserts in the world, the Taklimakan, and also on the grasslands of the Heavenly Mountains, the Pamirs and the Kunlun Range. Living in Asia's heartland, Uyghurs in the oasis towns developed the skills and facilities which an international trade route demanded. Although many Uyghurs are now heavily involved in manufacturing, mining, oil drilling, trade and transportation, their pastoralist past still shows itself in their diet. In addition to the now traditional naan bread, pasta or rice, most meals contain meat, particularly lamb/mutton, and often some dairy product e.g. mil-tea, butter, cream, yhghur and khurt (a kind of very sour cheese).History The Uyghurs once ruled Mongolia, building its first walled cities, and creating its first literate civilization. In AD 840, another Turkic people, the Kyrgyz (or Kirghiz), drove the Uyghurs out of Mongolia southwards into north Gansu. After divisions arose, some Uyghurs remained but others moved on further west into present day Xinjiang, where they established the Kingdom of Khocho. Later individual dynasties emerged and the Uyghur oasis towns became small independent states.one who come to Uyghur world ,will never forget the The Famous Food Polo !Uyghur Nan ( also Naan ) , very Tastful and Famous all china .Uyghur Girl is Dancing , Uyghur Triditional Dance is very beautiful , all of the Uyghurs can dance , they have a party named Meshrep which everybody who joined dance .Uyghur Caravan in the Teklimakan Desert .Uyghur Oldman cooking fishes at the Tarim River SideUyghur Mother baking Nan , the place a naan is baked called Tonur in Uyghur , and all the Uyghur old woman can bak the Tasteful Naan Also written Uyghur (Chinese gov't); Uighur (some linguists); Wei-wu-er-zu (Mandarin)For centuries the Uyghur people were an important link between China and the rest of the world. Uyghur communities were typically based in oases or fertile valleys, growing cereals and fruit. The strategic importance of these oasis bazaars enabled many Uyghur traders to become key middlemen on the Silk Road caravan routes between the Orient and Europe.PopulationOver 9.3 million Uyghurs live in China in an area now known as Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Some major cities in the east and south of China also have small Uyghur communities. Several hundred thousand Uyghurs live in communities worldwide in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, in Turkey, Europe, North America and Australia. Present-day Xinjiang is a vast 637,000 square mile region of steppe, desert and mountains.LanguageUyghur is a Turkic language of the Altaic family related to Uzbek, Turkish, Kazakh and Kyrgyz. The Uyghurs in Xinjiang write their language in a modified Arabic script. Cyrillic and Latin scripts were also in use between 1950 and 1980. Around 1980 a new Arabic script was introduced which has since been the standard alphabet.LivelihoodTraditionally farmers and shepherds, the Uyghurs have made their homes in teh many oases of the Tarim basin, containing one of the most arid deserts in the world, the Taklimakan, and also on the grasslands of the Heavenly Mountains, the Pamirs and the Kunlun Range. Living in Asia's heartland, Uyghurs in the oasis towns developed the skills and facilities which an international trade route demanded. Although many Uyghurs are now heavily involved in manufacturing, mining, oil drilling, trade and transportation, their pastoralist past still shows itself in their diet. In addition to the now traditional naan bread, pasta or rice, most meals contain meat, particularly lamb/mutton, and often some dairy product e.g. mil-tea, butter, cream, yhghur and khurt (a kind of very sour cheese).History The Uyghurs once ruled Mongolia, building its first walled cities, and creating its first literate civilization. In AD 840, another Turkic people, the Kyrgyz (or Kirghiz), drove the Uyghurs out of Mongolia southwards into north Gansu. After divisions arose, some Uyghurs remained but others moved on further west into present day Xinjiang, where they established the Kingdom of Khocho. Later individual dynasties emerged and the Uyghur oasis towns became small independent states.one who come to Uyghur world ,will never forget the The Famous Food Polo !Uyghur Nan ( also Naan ) , very Tastful and Famous all china .Uyghur Girl is Dancing , Uyghur Triditional Dance is very beautiful , all of the Uyghurs can dance , they have a party named Meshrep which everybody who joined dance .Uyghur Caravan in the Teklimakan Desert .Uyghur Oldman cooking fishes at the Tarim River SideUyghur Mother baking Nan , the place a naan is baked called Tonur in Uyghur , and all the Uyghur old woman can bak the Tasteful Naan