dogu-turkistan-sempozyumu

East Turkistan as a Cradle of Civilizations / Prof Alimcan InayetManiheist religion, and Christianity and Islam; they became the protectorsof all these faiths. During the 5 th and 6 th centuries, Hoten, Kucha and Turfanwere important centres of the Buddhist culture, with Turfan being an importantregion for Buddhist, Maniheist and Nasturi Christian activities in the 8 th and 9 thcenturies. Literary works, books translated from other languages and drawings onthe walls of Buddhist temples, reflecting the Buddhist and Maniheist faith, areall products of this period. When Satuk Bugra Khan, the sultan of the KarahanliState, converted to Islam in the 10 th century, the Uyghur Turks also convertedto Islam. Masterpieces such as the Kutadgu Bilig (the Sacred Knowledge) andDivanü Lügati’t-Türk (Collection of Turkish Dictionaries) are products of theIslamic period of the Uyghur Turks. Uyghur Turks, who were very tolerant todifferent religions, were interested in foreign cultures and adopted them whensuitable. For instance, the Uyghur people originally used the Gokturk alphabet,but they also used the Soğd-Uyghur alphabet, the Jagatai alphabet, the Cyrillicalphabet and the Latin alphabet. Today, they use an alphabet derived from theArabic script.Uyghur Turks shared the knowledge they had accumulated with other nationsand taught Genghis Khan and his sons how to use the alphabet, the seal, diplomacyand state bureaucracy. In this way, the Uyghur Turks made a great contribution tothe success of Genghis Khan.The Uyghur Turks established various states throughout history and theirstate organisation and administration were reflected in the Kutadgu Bilig of YusufHas Hacib. The Uyghur Turkic state administration was not based on “absorbingand demolishing”, but on “existence and protection”, and in this way the wolf andthe lamb could peacefully co-exist. 7The states founded by the Uyghur Turks in East Turkistan include thefollowing:The Idikut Uyghur State: This state, which was established in 856 by MengliTigin (Ulug Tengride Kut Bolmış Alp Kulug Bilge Kagan), continued to existunder the Mongol Empire after the 13 th century.The Karahanli State: This state, established in the 10 th century by Bilge KulKadır Khan, became the first Muslim-Turkic state in Turkic history when Sultan275