Ili Turks

The Ili Turks (Chinese: 土尔克人; pinyin: Tǔ'ěrkè rén; lit. 'Turk people') are a Turkic ethnic group native to Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of northern Xinjiang, China.^[3] They speak the Ili Turki language, which belongs to the Karluk branch of the Turkic languages.^[1] The oral history of the Ili Turks says that they came from the Ferghana Valley of Uzbekistan.^[1] The Chinese government does not recognize the Ili Turks as a distinct ethnic group in censuses.

Ili Turks

Regions with significant populations
China Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture	120 (2019)[1]
Kazakhstan	57 (2009)[2]
Languages
Ili Turki, Kazakh, Lanyin Mandarin
Religion
Sunni Islam[1]
Related ethnic groups
Uyghurs, Äynus, Uzbeks, Kazakhs

The Ili Turks are nomadic herders. There are many unique animal husbandry words in their language.^[4][5]