Äynu people
ئەينۇ | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| 30,000–50,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Xinjiang, China | |
| Languages | |
| Äynu, Uyghur and Central Plains Mandarin | |
| Religion | |
| Majority: Alevi Minority: Sunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Uyghurs, Ili Turks, other Turkic |
The Äynu (also Ainu, Abdal or Aini) are a Turkic people native to the Xinjiang region of China, where they are an unrecognized ethnic group legally counted as Uyghurs. They speak the Äynu language and mainly adhere to Alevism. There are estimated to be around 30,000 to 50,000 Äynu people, mostly located on the fringe of the Taklamakan Desert.