Uyghur prints; being accidentally fashionable

This year I went on holiday to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and China. One of my stops in China was Kashgar an oasis city west of the Taklamakan dessert which is mainly populated by Uyghur people. There I had an unexpected fashion moment.

On the street in Kashgar

Uyghurs are an Eurasian (mixed ancestry) people with an Eastern and Western Eurasian look. The Uyghur (also spelled Uighur or Uigur) language is a Turkic language very similar to Turkish. The term Uyghur means "united" or "allied". Most are Muslim. Uyghurs live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China. They are not to be confused with the Han (the quintessential Chinese people) and do not like to be called "Chinese". Tensions between Han Chinese and Uyghur exist and several Uyghur uprisings have taken place.

Uyghurs have a long history and a rich cultural traditions which are still kept alive today. Here you can read an interesting piece about Uyghur wedding traditions. Probably the most "famous" bit of Uygher culture to us is their tie-dye print on a silk fabric which they call "atlas". This might not ring a bell, but maybe a few pictures do.

When I went on holiday in Xinjiang I did not know about this print being Uyghur yet. In Kashgar I wore a new dress which was an online offer of H&M and which I just bought because it looked nice and was cheap. That day a lot of people came up to me complementing (mainly by gesturing, for lacking knowledge of English) me on my pretty dress. Finally, a girl working in the hostel I stayed in managed to explain to me I was wearing a dress with a Uyghur print! So thank you H&M for this little fashion moment!

The Dress

Me in my Uyghur print dress