Music of Xinjiang
Xinjiang’s music varies a lot by region. In Ili, Kashgar, Hotan, and Aksu Prefecture you find different styles: Hotan in the south has simple songs, Kuqa features dance-like music, and Kashgar is known for complex, rhythmic songs. Ili is famous for emotional, narrative tunes.
The best-known Uyghur music form is the muqam, a long suite with 12 sections that shows Uzbek and Tajik influences. Muqams differ a lot from one to another and are built on a seven-note scale. Common instruments include the dap (a frame drum), hammered dulcimers, fiddles, and lutes. Musicians often add their own flourishes, especially in percussion, and the exact instruments used can vary.
In November 2005, the art of Uyghur muqam was named a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
The sanam tradition is a dance music style among the Uyghurs, while spoken songs like Maida, Eytishish, and Qoshaq are popular love songs with simple tunes.
Turdi Akhun was a leading muqam performer who recorded many muqams in the 1950s. A regional pop music scene grew in the 1980s after cultural restrictions loosened; bands such as Shireli produced works like Trance 2 (1995), a reggae-inspired take on a local folk song. Other well-known musicians include Pasha Isha, Äskär and his band Grey Wolf, Abdulla Abdurehim, and Alim Jan, who played the stringed rawap on international projects such as the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon soundtrack. Alim Jan’s father was a famous folk musician nicknamed Tursun Tanbur for his skill with the tanbur, a long-necked lute.
Rock and heavy metal bands like Täklimakan and Riwäyat are popular in Xinjiang, as are flamenco-style guitar sounds associated with the Gipsy Kings.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 04:05 (CET).