FU Ma, author, is an Associate Professor at the Department of History and the Centre for Research on Ancient Chinese History, Peking University, China. His research focuses on Sino-Western communications, the history of the Western Regions (i.e., Central Asia in premodern times) and the Silk Road.

• 1. Introduction History of the West Uighurs: Historical Materials and Previous Scholarship 2. Prehistory: The Eastern Tianshan Entered the Uighur Era 3. Reconstruction of the West Uighur Kingdom’s Founding History 4. The Old Uighurs Were No “Türks”: “Türk” Seen in Uighur Texts and the Old Uighurs’ Ethnic Identity 5. Beiting, Xizhou and Yizhou in the Uighur Era 6. Cities Along the Southern Tianshan Route of the Silk Road in the Uighur Era 7. The Northern Tianshan Route of the Silk Road in the Uighur Era

FU Ma, author, is an Associate Professor at the Department of History and the Centre for Research on Ancient Chinese History, Peking University, China. His research focuses on Sino-Western communications, the history of the Western Regions (i.e., Central Asia in premodern times) and the Silk Road.

• 1. Introduction History of the West Uighurs: Historical Materials and Previous Scholarship 2. Prehistory: The Eastern Tianshan Entered the Uighur Era 3. Reconstruction of the West Uighur Kingdom’s Founding History 4. The Old Uighurs Were No “Türks”: “Türk” Seen in Uighur Texts and the Old Uighurs’ Ethnic Identity 5. Beiting, Xizhou and Yizhou in the Uighur Era 6. Cities Along the Southern Tianshan Route of the Silk Road in the Uighur Era 7. The Northern Tianshan Route of the Silk Road in the Uighur Era