Turkestan

or Tur·ki·stan

[ tur-kuh-stan, -stahn, tur-kuh-stan, -stahn ]

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.

Turkestan

/ 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

Other Words From

• Tur·ke·stan·i·an adjective noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Turkestan¹

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

In California, Turkestan cockroaches are a relatively recent introduction and, you guessed it, are considered invasive.

From Seattle Times

These include the Pakistani Taliban and a nebulous militant group claiming to represent the Uyghur ethnic group in China’s Xinjiang region, called the East Turkestan Islamic Movement.

From Seattle Times

From a Russian jail in Turkestan to a ghetto in Shanghai, “The World and All That It Holds” runs along the wire of Pinto’s tenuous hope.

From Washington Post

The head of the NGO group East Turkestan New Generation Movement, Abdusselam Teklimakan, said the report came late, while Uyghurs were year after year worrying about the fate of their loved ones in Xinjiang.

From Reuters