or Turkistan Turkestan

Turkestan, or Turkistan, large region in Asia covering parts of China, the former USSR, and Afghanistan. It is so-called because peoples of Turkic ancestry have inhabited this region since the 6th century A.D. From the time of Marco Polo, the area has served as an important trade link between the Asian and European continents. The region, which has no distinct boundaries, has been officially divided into Chinese, Soviet, and Afghan Turkestan. Many of the region's people are Muslim.