Meaning of Hotan | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A prefecture of the Xinjiang autonomous region, China.
2. A county-level city of Hotan prefecture, Xinjiang autonomous region, China.
3. A county of Hotan prefecture, Xinjiang autonomous region, China.

Equivalents

Examples

“Today in Hotan Prefecture, including Pishan, Moyu, Lop, Qira, Yutian and Minfeng counties–places under the jurisdiction of ancient Khotan State which once dominated the southern route of the Silk Road–818 cobbled canals with a combined length of 1,500 kilometres have been built. Thus, melted snow from the Kunlun Mountains irrigates the prefecture's 200,000 hectacres of farmland.”

The Silk Road, Past and Present

“Hotan is located in southern Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. It is an oasis town in the Tarim Basin, north of the Kunlun Mountains and south of the Taklamakan Desert. Hotan Prefecture is a multinational area: 96 percent Uyghur and 3 percent Han.”

“It is not uncommon to find Uyghurs, particularly from Hotan and Kashgar in southern Xinjiang, – perceived by the authorities as anti-government hotspots – reporting that half or more of their immediate family members are in a mix of political education camps, pre-trial detention, and prison. For example, an interviewee said her husband, his 4 brothers, and their 12 nephews – that is, all the men in the family – have been detained in political education camps since 2017.”

“ByteDance has also been working with Xinjiang authorities under a program called “Xinjiang Aid,” whereby Chinese companies open subsidiaries or factories in Xinjiang and employ locals who have been detained in the camps. Its operations are centered on Hotan, an area of Xinjiang considered backward by the Communist Party and where the repression has been among the most severe.”

“Two Chinese men view an exhibit on the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, Hotan, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, 2003.”

“Analysis of satellite imagery in the public domain indicates that many religious sites appear to have been removed or changed in their characteristic identifying features, such as the removal of minarets. An illustrative example is the transformation of the Imam Asim Shrine, located in southern Xinjiang, north of the city of Hotan (see images below). This was formerly a pilgrimage site for Uyghurs and other Muslim communities that included the tomb of the Imam, a mosque, and several related tombs.”

“Recent excavations at the Mälikä Awat site in Hotan County revealed a forty-five-kilogram cache of Western Han "five-zhu" coins buried in the sand in a large ochre-red pottery crock, standing over half a meter tall and measuring fifty-six centimeters in circumference.”

Xinjiang : the Land and the People

“The authorities’ attempt to enforce absolute secrecy is confirmed by another document dated November 2018, this one from a local government file in Hotan County.”

CEFR level