Uighurs used to have an empire of their own. It consisted of modern East Turkestan as well as parts of Mongolia.
The Uighur Empire was a central Asian steppe confederation, like most empires that have existed there. However, unlike many of its predecessors, the Uighurs actually started to settle down and build their own cities and culture. However, steppe confederations were not usually very long-lived, and the Uighur empire was no exception. In the late dark ages, the Kyrgyz tribes (who then lived in central Siberia) sent an army of 80,000 horsemen to attack the Uighurs. They proceeded to burn down the capital and other major cities, leaving Mongolia in chaos again. The world in the time of the Uighur Empire (Khaganate): http://www.worldhistorymaps.info/images/East-Hem_800ad.jpg -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- related news: Uighurs fear Islamic practices will disappear under China's rule: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Khabr/message/575
