ARI Working Paper Series

The religious conversion history of the Uighur from ancient times to the 16th century is reflected in the colourful religious scenes along the Silk Road. During the course of history, the Uighur were successively adherents to Shamanism, Manichaeism, Nestorian Christianity and Buddhism prior to their mass conversion to Islam in the 16th century. The successive changes in religious affiliation were closely related to their migration from Upper Mongolia to different areas in Chinese Central Asia and to their encountering peoples of different beliefs. This paper seeks to trace the history of Uighur religious conversion as they moved from nomadism to their newly established sedentary world and through their successive polity affiliations.