Uygur, December 1 ➤

Location: A 1987 study listed 25,000 When Marco Polo speakers of the Lop Nur Uygur visited the ancient city language in the eastern part of the of Lop, now buried Uygur Autonomous Region.1 deep beneath the They live near Lop Nur Lake, in a sand, he noted, widespread area which includes Yuli “There are many County and Township of springs of bad and . The area is also bitter water, though in near the site of ’s nuclear bomb some places the water tests. Marco Polo described his is good and sweet. travels through the Lop region more When it happens that than 700 years ago: “At the point an army passes where the traveler enters the Great through the country, if Desert, is a big city called Lop… I can it is a hostile one, the tell you that travelers who intend to people take flight with cross the desert rest in this town for their wives and a week to refresh themselves and children and their their beasts. At the end of the week beasts two or three they stock up with a month’s days’ journey into the provisions for themselves and their sandy wastes to beasts. Then they leave the town and places where they enter the desert.”2 know there is water and they can live with Identity: Although the Lop Nur people their beasts.”5 have been officially included as part Dwayne Graybill of the Uygur nationality, “they differ Customs: Seven centuries ago, Marco ago. They retain many features of from the Uygur people in both Polo described the effect the their pre-Islamic spirit-appeasement language and appearance — looking Taklimakan Desert had on stray rituals, including the worship of the more like Mongolians.”3 travelers. “When a man is riding by sun, moon, stars, and wind. night through the desert and Language: Most Chinese sources list something happens to make him loiter Christianity: There is no apparent Lop Nur as a dialect of Uygur, but it is and lose touch with his Christian presence among the people not intelligible with any other Turkic companions… he hears spirits talking living in the desolate wastes of the varieties within China. in such a way that they seem to be Lop Nur region. Nestorian his companions. Sometimes, indeed, missionaries from the eighth to History: The Lop Nur Uygurs are they even hail him by name. Often thirteenth centuries established “believed to be descended from the these voices make him stray from the churches along the ancient Loulan people.… Their path, so that he never finds it again. townships, but all memory of them ancestors all lived at Lop Nur and And in this way many travelers have and their message has long since were engaged in fishing and been lost and have perished.”6 been obliterated by the all- hunting.… When Lop Nur dried up encompassing sands of the several decades ago, they were forced Religion: The Lop Nur Uygurs Taklimakan Desert. to move and settle down in Miran.”4 converted to Islam several centuries

Overview of the Status: MONGOLIA Officially included under Uygur Status of Evangelization Lop Nur Uygur 99% Language: XINJIANG Countries: China Altaic, Turkic, Eastern Turkic •Urumqi Pronunciation: Dialects: 0 “Lop-noor-Wee-gur” • Religion: Sunni Islam, Polytheism •Ruoqiang Other Names: •Qiemo Lop Nor Turks, Lop Nur Christians: None known Scale Scripture: None 1% 0% 0 KM 400 Population Source: 25,000 (1987 LAC); Jesus film: None Out of a total Uygur population of A B C Population in China: Gospel Recordings: None 7,214,431 (1990 census) A = Have never heard the gospel 25,000 (1987) Christian Broadcasting: None B = Were evangelized but did not Location: E Xinjiang: Lop Nur 33,500 (2000) ROPAL code: UIG03 become Christians 42,200 (2010) Region: , and Miran C = Are adherents to any form of Township of Ruoqiang County Location: Xinjiang Christianity Religion: Islam Christians: None Known

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