Uighurs refers to the people of Turkey who primarily occupy the north-western parts of China in the autonomous region called the Xinjiang. They belong to the Muslim community people and their existence holds record in the history of China since the 3rd century. In 840 AD Uighurs hold records of having formed their own independent kingdom which later went on to be overthrown by the Mongols in the 13th century.
Uighurs is dwelled by simple village-dwelling occupying hill slopes and valleys of Tien Shan, Pamirs etc. The region being very arid has always demanded good irrigation systems practised by the Uighurs. Discriminations and communal unrest between the Han Chinese and Uighurs continue to be a part of their daily life.

Uighurs of China is traditionally Muslim extremists and Islam forms an integral part of their identity. They belong to the Sunni sect of Muslims.
The chief industrial crops grown by the Uighurs is cotton. Other urban expansions of the Uighurs include mining, petroleum extraction etc. Corn, wheat and melons comprise its principle food crops.

The migration of Han Chinese into Xinjiang led to severe economic disparities and social unrest. In 2009, riots and protests led to the death and injury of many people, primarily in Urumqi.

Today Uighurs comprises only 45% of the population of Xinjiang as compared to 75% in 1945.

Intermarriage between the Han Chinese and Uighurs is most rare and socialising is bare minimum among these communities.

The language of Uighurs speaks in an Altaic language; it is a mixed language of Uzbek and Turkish. The script is Arabic as it has been since the 13th century with minor adaptations made on the basis of different pronunciations. Most Uighurs does not speak Chinese but those engaged in business of trade are fluent in the regional languages like Uzbek, Russian, Kazakh, Chinese, Kyrgyz, and Turkish etc.

The language of the Uighurs and their script formed the basis for the Mongol script taken up by Genghis Khan in his era till its replacement with Russian.

An old tradition of the Uighurs is shaving the heads of their babies or carving their hair in various wild designs as it is said to ward off evil baby-stealing spirits.

Most Uighur locals are known to carry knives at all times. This is often considered a threat by the Hans Chinese living in the Xinjiang region.

Uighurs is known to smoke Hashish, a drug produced from resin and trichomes extracted from Cannabis indica and Cannabis sativa plants. The drug has been in use by the Uighurs for over a thousand years. In Europe and USA, Hashish is smoked in the form of hand-rolled cigarettes.
Historical cave paintings and images found in Uighur inhabited regions are known to have featured Buddha and the Bodhisattvas.

Meshrep, a classical folk performance by the Uighurs has been proposed for the intangible cultural heritage status by the UNESCO.

Mehmet Tursun Chong, an Olympic boxer representing China has a humble Uighur background as he grew up in a small village called Yizebah situated in the south-western region of Xinjiang.

Uighur are one of the most interesting tribes of China, given their distinct characteristics from the rest of Chinese population as a lot has been said and written about them in recent times.