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Where and when did Old Uyghur develop?
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Old Uyghur developed in the Tarim River basin beginning in the 9th century.1
Following the collapse of the Uyghur khanate in Mongolia in 840, the Uyghurs migrated southwestward to the region around the Tien Shan mountains and the Turfan Depression in what is now Xinjiang, China. It was in this area that Old Uyghur flourished for several centuries, supported by a rich literature of predominantly Buddhist and Manichaean religious texts.21