马背上的新疆

The ethnic groups of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, including the Uyghur, Kazakh, Kirgiz and Mongol peozple, have created many colorful and interesting horseback sports. These have become an essential part of grassland culture.     

Dolan Harvest Festival Rages in the Oasis

A vast desert surrounds and an endless sea of Euphrates poplars decorates the Dolan＇s hometown of Makit. The terrain reflects the character of its inhabitants, straightforward, passionate and bold. When times get tough, singing and dancing become an essential form of coping in Dolan people＇s lives and an event called Meshref or ＂harvest festival＂ takes place featuring music, poetry and dance. When Dolan Muqam arises at the event, the oasis transforms to the hottest spot in the desert.     

Dolan Muqam and the Twelve Muqams： the Wild and the Elegant

The Twelve Muqams is a musical encyclopedia of the Uyghur culture. The system was developed over thousands of years, when the ancient nomadic Uyghur settled and adopted an agricultural lifestyle. Upon analyzing their musical structure and method of performance, it can be certain that it is a musical genre rooted in an urban lifestyle. Dolan Muqam, unlike the Twelve Muqams,is spontaneous in nature and distinguishes itself with a unique musical structure, melody and instruments.     

Dolan Muqam and Dolan Meshref：Dolan People＇s Romantic Ideals

Dolan Muqam and Dolan Meshref music and dance seem to have brought people back to the Bronze Age because what happened to Dolan ancestors seems to have resurfaced. Dolan people＇s struggles and aspirations to conquer nature and change the environment, as well as their romantic thoughts and feelings are freeze-framed at the very beginning of the music and dance.     

Signs of the Time and Seasons

Like a work of Van Gogh, the Dolans have created a colorful world to live in despite their location between desert and oasis. They construct charming homes, dye their clothing in colorful hues and embroider them with intricate detail and find solace in taking their falcons to hunt in the wild. As reflected in Dolan Muqam, their lives are filled with crude and glorious inspiration.     

Origin of the Dolan Peopl

In modern Uyghur, the word ＂Dolan＂ means, ＂living in groups＂; however, this tells us nothing about the group＇s ancestors. Due to the lack of historical records, origin of the Dolan has long been veiled in mystery. It is still unknown whether the word ＂Dolan＂ refers to a certain place or a group of people. After an argument lasting for many years, people arrived at a consensus, that is, it would be more appropriate if interpreting Dolan as a distinctive way of life than any others.     

Tracing the Song of the Dolan People

Walking into Ayimak
Alter learning that a village in Aksu City of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region might be the Dolan people＇s potential place of origin, I enthusiastically embarked on my quest to explore the region with a mind imploding of questions.     

The Dolan＇s Three Maps

Geography is of great significance in the birth of the Dolan culture and three separate maps are necessary in its geographical analysis.     

The Story of Dolan Muqam and the Queen

Throughout the long history of Xinjiang, the Dolan Muqam has preserved the Dolan civilization through loud, long-drawn- out singing talks about human metaphors. Dolan Muqam contains thousands of years worth of wisdom, through which Dolan people express their desire for oasis and their life persectives in the form of poetry.