Altishahr

English

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Proper noun

Altishahr

1. (historical) The Tarim Basin region.
   • 2014 August 24, Mark O'Neill, “Ancient manuscripts tell of proud, independent people”, in South China Morning Post‎^[1], →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on February 21, 2017, Lifestyle‎^[2]:

     Chinese scholars organise Altishahr's history by the dynasties, even during those dynasties when they had no control over it. They treat the region as a border area of the motherland, instead of a place with its own history and traditions. "This approach has doomed standard histories in the eyes of most [Uygurs]," Thum writes.
     Altishahr did not become part of the Chinese empire until 1759, when the emperor, Qianlong, sent an enormous army to conquer the Dzungar Mongols who then controlled the region. The Dzungar were defeated, leaving the Qing empire in control of Altishahr.

Usage notes

Used in the 18th and 19th centuries. American scholar Rian Thum suggested using the term rather than Uyghuristan, Xinjiang and East Turkestan.