History of the Uygurs

Uygur means union or alliance. Modern Uygur people can trace their ancestors back to the nomadic tribes who lived in the area of Lake Baikal and the Irtish River further north of today's Mongolia about 200 BC, contemporaneously with the Han Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom.

Among the numerous names these tribes took up was Uighur or Ouigour.

In AD 744, the Uighur founded a khanate in Mobei, an area encompassing Lake Baikal and Mongolia. They even dispatched troops twice to help the Tang central authorities to quell rebellions. However, the Uighur Khanate collapsed in 840 because of natural disasters, internal strife and attacks by neighboring tribes.