Uyghur alphabet

The Uyghur alphabet is any of the following:

• A descendant of the Sogdian alphabet, used for texts of Buddhist, Manichæan and Christian contents for 700–800 years in East Turkestan. Last known manuscripts are dated the 18th century. This was the prototype for Mongolian and Manchu alphabets and was also called the Old Uyghur alphabet.
• A modified Arabic alphabet, widely used by modern Uyghurs in Xinjiang, China.
• A modified Latin alphabet, used by Uyghurs in Chinese East Turkestan for 15–20 years until late 1980s. Still in use for Internet communications in Uyghur.
• A modified Cyrillic alphabet, used by Uyghurs in former Soviet Republics of Central Asia.

See also: Orkhon script