Father of “East Turkestan”: Russian Sinologist Nikita Yakovlevich Bichurin. He 1st invented the term “East Turkestan” to replace “Chinese Turkestan” in foreign language usage in 1829.

coincided w Russian conquest of Central Asia which led to establishment of Russian Turkestan

Since then, “East Turkestan” have been used interchangeably with “Chinese Turkistan” for #Xinjiang as a geographic term to mark it from ”West Turkestan” or “Russian Turkestan”

This 1909 map use “Chinese Turkistan”

This 1897 map of Russian conquest use “East Turkestan” to denoted Tarim Basin area, #Uyghur homeland in South #Xinjiang under Chinese Empire.

It also marked in orange, part of Ghulja, Xinjiang occupied by Russia in 1871 and cede by China in Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1881),

The traditional #Uyghur name for their homeland is Altishahr, or 6 cities, for traditional Turkic speaking oasis cities in Tarim Basin.

Tianshan mountain cuts #Xinjiang into 2 parts. Dzungaria in red, Tarim Basin in blue.

“Chinese or East Turkestan” used to refer to blue area

#Uyghur nationalists/separatists started to adopt “East Turkistan” to claim the whole of #Xinjiang (include Dzungaria in the North) in early 20th century, like this map used by “East Turkistan Australian Association”

During Civil War and Rebellion in #Xinjiang in 1930s, group of conservative #Uyghur religious clerics founded Turkish Islamic Republic of Eastern Turkestan (TIRET) in Kashgar, Hotan and Aksu on Nov 12,1933. It lasted 5 month til April 16, 1934.

Turkish Islamic Republic of Eastern Turkestan (TIRET) killed and forced to convert Christians and Hindus in Kashgar. Then declared Hui(Tungan), Chinese speaking Muslim their biggest enemy. This prove to be their downfall...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_East_Turkestan_Republic

The Islamic Republic of East Turkistan ran afoul w Chinese Muslim Warlord Ma Zhongying who led Hui Army into #Xinjiang in 1930s to carve up a new power base.

Soviet bombing halted his advance on Urumqi, Ma turn 2 S Xinjiang, wiped out 1st “East Turkistan Republic” in Kashgar

Then Soviet Union send in 7,000 troops into #Xinjiang to help Warlord Shen Shicai crush Ma Zhongying’s Hui Muslim Army. Soviet planes bombed Ma army. Then Ma for unknown reason crossed into Soviet Union and is never heard of again.

Xinjiang then became a Soviet Satellite with Warlord Sheng Shicai applied to join the Communist Party of Soviet Union. Stalin rejected his proposals

Sheng Shicai ordered a new flag for #Xinjiang in 1934 based on Soviet flag