Turkestan

American  

[tur-kuh-stan, -stahn, tur-kuh-stan, -stahn] / ˈtɜr kəˌstæn, -ˌstɑn, ˌtɜr kəˈstæn, -ˈstɑn /

Or Turkistan

noun

1. a vast region in western and central Asia, east of the Caspian Sea: includes territory in the south central part of Xinjiang province in China Eastern Turkestan or Chinese Turkestan, a strip of northern Afghanistan, and the area Russian Turkestan comprising the republics of Kazakhstan, Kirghizia (Kyrgyzstan), Tadzhikistan (Tajikistan), Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

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Turkestan British  

/ ˌtɜːkɪˈstɑːn /

noun

1. an extensive region of central Asia between Siberia in the north and Tibet, India, Afghanistan, and Iran in the south: formerly divided into West ( Russian ) Turkestan (also called Soviet Central Asia), comprising present-day Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan and the S part of Kazakhstan, and East ( Chinese ) Turkestan , approximating to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China

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Other Word Forms

• Turkestanian
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Turkestan

First recorded in 1710–20; from Persian Torkestān; literally, “land of the Turks”

Example Sentences

Ethnically Uighur, Mamat left China at age 12 after an uprising in the region of East Turkestan, where most of Mamat’s extended family still lives.

From Scientific American • Sep. 20, 2023

One of the volunteer speakers associated with the museum is Rushan Abbas, who is Uyghur and was born in East Turkestan — otherwise known as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China — in 1967.

From Washington Post • Sep. 20, 2022

An ethnic Uyghur demonstrator shouts slogans as he holds an East Turkestan flag during a protest against China near the Chinese consulate in Istanbul, Turkey July 5, 2022.

From Reuters • Sep. 1, 2022

The design on the skis used Saturday seemed to recognize East Turkestan, the region that is home to Uyghurs.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 6, 2022

One of these routes passed through the Black Sea, and across the Caspian Sea to Turkestan to those strange and romantic ancient cities, Bokhara and Samarkand.

From A History of the Philippines by Barrows, David P.