Lop Nur Uygur in China

The Lop Nur Uygur have only been reported in China
Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

Although the Lop Nur people have been officially included as part of the Uygur nationality, "they differ from the Uygur people in both language and appearance, looking more like Mongolians."

The Lop Nur Uygurs are "believed to be descended from the ancient Loulan people. ... Their ancestors all lived at Lop Nur and were engaged in fishing and hunting. When Lop Nur dried up several decades ago, they were forced to move and settle down in Miran." When Marco Polo visited the ancient city of Lop, now buried deep beneath the sand, he noted, "There are many springs of bad and bitter water, though in some places the water is good and sweet. When it happens that an army passes through the country, if it is a hostile one, the people take flight with their wives and children and their beasts two or three days' journey into the sandy wastes to places where they know there is water and they can live with their beasts."


What Are Their Lives Like?

Seven centuries ago, Marco Polo described the effect the Taklimakan Desert had on stray travelers. "When a man is riding by night through the desert and something happens to make him loiter and lose touch with his companions ... he hears spirits talking in such a way that they seem to be his companions. Sometimes, indeed, they even hail him by name. Often these voices make him stray from the path, so that he never finds it again. And in this way many travelers have been lost and have perished."


What Are Their Beliefs?

The Lop Nur Uygurs converted to Islam several centuries ago. They retain many features of their pre-Islamic spirit-appeasement rituals, including the worship of the sun, moon, stars, and wind.

There is no apparent Christian presence among the people living in the desolate wastes of the Lop Nur region. Nestorian missionaries from the eighth to thirteenth centuries established churches along the Silk Road townships, but all memory of them and their message has long since been obliterated by the all encompassing sands of the Taklimakan Desert.


What Are Their Needs?

The Lop Nur Uygur people need to accept the warm embrace of the only Savior so they can enjoy spiritually meaningful lives.


Prayer Points

Pray for the authority of Christ to bind hindering spiritual forces to lead them from darkness to light.

Pray for signs and wonders to happen among them and for great breakthroughs with a rapid multiplication of disciples and house churches.

Pray for bold workers who are driven by the love of the Holy Spirit to go to them.

Pray for an unstoppable movement to Christ among them.


Scripture Prayers for the Uygur, Lop Nur in China.


References

Operation China, Asia Harvest, Copyrighted © Used with permission


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Uygur, Lop Nur
People Name in Country Uygur, Lop Nur
Natural Name Lop Nur Uygur
Pronunciation lop noor WEE-gur
Alternate Names Lop Nur; Lop Nur Turks; Uighur; Uyghur
Population this Country 44,000
Population all Countries 44,000
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
People ID 18708
ROP3 Code 114342
ROP25 Code 308518
ROP25 Name Uyghur
Country China
Region Asia, Northeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 19  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country A 1987 study listed 25,000 speakers of the Lop Nur Uygur language in the eastern part of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. They live near Lop Nur Lake, in a widespread area which includes Yuli County and Miran Township of Ruoqiang County. The area is also near the site of China's nuclear bomb tests. Marco Polo described his travels through the Lop region more than 700 years ago: "At the point where the traveler enters the Great Desert, is a big city called Lop… I can tell you that travelers who intend to cross the desert rest in this town for a week to refresh themselves and their beasts. At the end of the week they stock up with a month's provisions for themselves and their beasts. Then they leave the town and enter the desert."   Source:  Operation China, 2000
Country China
Region Asia, Northeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 19  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country A 1987 study listed 25,000 speakers of the Lop Nur Uygur language in the eastern part of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. They live near Lop Nur Lake, in a widespread area which includes Yuli County and Miran Township of Ruoqiang County. The area is also near the site of China's nuclear bomb tests. Marco Polo described his travels through the Lop region more than 700 years ago: "At the point where the traveler enters the Great Desert, is a big city called Lop… I can tell you that travelers who intend to cross the desert rest in this town for a week to refresh themselves and their beasts. At the end of the week they stock up with a month's provisions for themselves and their beasts. Then they leave the town and enter the desert.".   Source:  Operation China, 2000
Primary Religion: Islam
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.00 %)
0.00 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
100.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Uyghur
Language Code uig   Ethnologue Listing
Primary Dialect Hotan
Dialect Code 17987   Global Recordings Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Uyghur
Language Code uig   Ethnologue Listing
Primary Dialect Hotan
Dialect Code 17987   Global Recordings Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Uyghur

Primary Language:  Uyghur

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (1898-1995)
Bible-New Testament Yes  (1914-2005)
Bible-Complete Yes  (1950-2022)
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) Online
YouVersion NT (www.bible.com) Online
Possible Print Bibles
Amazon
World Bibles
Forum Bible Agencies
National Bible Societies
World Bible Finder
Virtual Storehouse
Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Audio Recordings Story of Jesus audio Jesus Film Project
Audio Recordings Xush Hewer Uyghur audio Bible General / Other
Film / Video God's Story video God's Story
Film / Video Indigitube.tv Video / Animation Create International
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Uyghur Jesus Film Project
Film / Video LUMO film of Gospels Bible Media Group/LUMO
Film / Video My Last Day video, anime Jesus Film Project
Film / Video World Christian Videos World Christian Videos
General Bible for Children Bible for Children
General Biblical answers to your questions Got Questions Ministry
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Gospel resources links Scripture Earth
General YouVersion Bible versions in text and/or audio YouVersion Bibles
Mobile App Android Bible app: Uyghur YouVersion Bibles
Mobile App iOS Bible app: Uyghur YouVersion Bibles
Text / Printed Matter Download scripture in this language eBible.org
Text / Printed Matter Uyghurche Muqeddes Kitab Jemiyiti General / Other
Photo Source Anonymous 
Map Source Joshua Project / Global Mapping International  
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.



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