Tajiks (
Sariquli Tajik: ,
Tujik; ), are an ethnic group that lives in the
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the
People's Republic of China. They are one of the
56 nationalities officially recognized by the government of China.
History
During the
Tang dynasty, the members of the ethnic group were referred to as "Cina-deva-gotra" (from
Sanskrit;
Chinese transcription: , , or ). The name literally means "descendant of
Han and the sun-god" ( or ).
The name originates from a story about the
Persian (波利剌斯) emperor marrying a Chinese wife.
During the
Qing dynasty, the Tajiks were administered by a system of
Begs like the rest of
Xinjiang.
The Tajiks of Xinjiang practiced slavery, selling some of their own as a punishment. Submissive slaves were given wives and settled with the Tajiks. They were considered property and could be sold anytime. Their slaves came from numerous sources, enslaving Sunni captives such as Kirghiz in retaliation for Kirghiz slave raids, or from Kunjud, Gilgit, Chitral. The Tajiks also sold some slaves to
Bukhara. The Sunnis called them Rafidites and did not consider them Muslim.
The Tajiks were among the supporters in the army of
Jahangir Khoja when he attacked the Qing at Kashgar in 1826. During the attack...
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