Yedi Kız Mezarı: Bir Zamanlar Yaşayan Ama Piçan’da Hâlâ Duran Bir Tapınak

Abstract

Professor Rahilä Dawut is the world’s leading scholar on the study of Uyghur mazar. Her pioneering publications in Uyghur, Chinese, and English as well as her digital archiving projects on indigenous expressions of religious identity have set the standard for the ethnographic study and preservation of Uyghur culture. Her unlawful detention comes at a shock to her colleagues, friends, and family, and her absence marks an irreplaceable loss to the academic community. Written in celebration of Professor Dawut’s contributions to Uyghur studies and research on mazar more specifically, this essay translates Professor Dawut’s 2001 chapter on the Mazar of the Seven Maidens (Yättä Qizlirim Maziri) located in Pichan County. It then provides ethnographic description of a 2015 visit to the shrine. This section places its focus on the ritual elements that link pilgrims past and present, the land, local saints, and, ultimately, the Divine. The article concludes with a message of hope for Professor Dawut and Uyghurs persisting in their homeland.