Relationship With Sogdians
In order to control the silk trade along the Silk Roads, the Uyghurs established a trade relationship with Sogdian merchants controlling the oases of Turkestan. As mentioned above, the Uyghur adoption of Manichaeism was one aspect of this relationship - choosing Manichaeism over Buddhism could have been motivated by a desire to show his independence from Tang influences.. It must be noted that the not all Uyghurs supported conversion to this religion - an inscription at Karabalghasun states that Manichaens tried to divert people from their ancient shamanistic beliefs. A Uyghur-Manichaen text from that period is used to demonstrate the kaghan's unbridled enthusiasm for Manichaeism - a fairly biased account:
| “ | At that time when the divine Bogu Khan had thus spoken, we the Elects of all the people livibng within the land rejoiced. It is impossible to describe this ourjoy. The people told the story to one another and rejoiced. At that time, groups of thousands and tens of thousands assembled and with pastimes of all srots they entertained themselves even unto dawn. And at the break of the day they made a short fast. The divine ruler Bogu Khan and all the elects of his retinue mounted on horses, and all the princes and the princesses led by those of high repute, the big and the small, the whole people, amidst great rejoicing proceeded to the gate of the city. And when the divine ruler had entered the city, he put the crown on his head... and sat upon the golden throne.. | ” |
| — Uyghur-Manichaen text. |
As this adoption was based on economic-political concerns regarding trade with the Sogdians, it was driven from the rulers and often encountered restistance in lower societal strata. Furthermore, as the kaghan's political power depended on his ability to provide economically for his subjects, 'alliance with the Sogdians through adopting their religion was an important way of securing this objective'. Both the Sogdians and the Uyghurs benefited enormously from this alliance. The Sogdians enabled the Uyghurs to trade in the Western Regions and exchange silk from China for other goods. For the Sogdians it provided their Chinese trading communities with Uyghur protection. The fifth and sixth centuries saw a large emigration of Sogdians to China. The Sogdians were main traders along the Silk Roads and China was always their biggest market. Among the paper clothing found in the Astana cemetery near Turfan is a list of taxes paid on caravan trade in the Gaochang kingdom in the 620s. The text is incomplete but out of the 35 commercial operations it lists, 29 involve a Sogdian trader . Ultimately both rulers of nomadic origin and sedentary states recognised the importance of merchants such as the Sogdians and made alliances to further their own agendas in controlling the Silk Roads.
Read more about this topic: Uyghur Khaganate
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