DOĞU TÜRKİSTAN ABDALLARI ÜZERİNE

Abstract

Uighur Turks living in territories of Eastern Turkestan, which has witnessed to struggles of various tribes and nations throughout history, has brought different religions and cultures together, and which has showed the feature to be center of trade and art, had a rich cultural accumulation and productive territories due to their transition to the settled life in the early period. That geography where Uighur Turks were living was in a central location, enabled also different tribes and cultures to live here. This geography, which had contained Silk Road connecting cultures to each other through trade for centuries, hosted a great number of expeditions in 19th century and in the first half of 20th century. Many countries including Germany, England, France, Japan and Russia, organized expeditions for various purposes, by establishing scientific committees. Those are the leading names carrying out expeditions, such as Fernard Grenard, Paul Pelliot, August Albert von Le Coq, Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, Kaarlo Hilden, Gustaf Raquette, Sir Marc Aurel Stein, Ella and Percy Sykes etc., who also gave a place to Abdals, living in Eastern Turkestan, in their reports and works. Information on the Abdals of Eastern Turkestan, given by these explorers, become source to names’ studies, such as Chinese Zhao Xiangru and Uighur Haxim Turdi, Xeripcan Kasım, Mutellip Sidiq, Ibrahim Muti’i, Ablet Abbas, Mirsultan Osmanov and Ali Ğopur etc. in the next period, as well. Purpose of this study is to introduce studies, carried out until now on the Abdals of Eastern Turkestan in the West and the East, and evaluate the present ones about the Abdals’ origins, identities, languages and cultures.

Keywords

• doğu türkistan
• uygurlar
• abdallar
• eynular