The Salar people are one of the Muslim ethnic minorities in China, primarily residing in Xunhua County, Qinghai Province in Northwest China, where they enjoy autonomous governance, as well as in Gando Town in Hualong Hui Autonomous County, Gansu Province.

According to historical records, the name Salar originates from the Oghuz tribe called "Salor," which means "those who carry swords, hammers, and spears wherever they go." Their original homeland was Samarkand in Central Asia.

The Origin of the Salar

Historians agree that the ancestors of the Salar lived in Samarkand. A story explains their migration to China, stating that the brothers Karaman and Akhiman fled Samarkand in the 13th century due to the oppression of its ruler. They were followed by 170 families who headed eastward until they reached Xunhua County.

According to the story, the brothers and their people carried with them a rare copy of the Holy Qur'an, water supplies, and rode on a white camel. When they arrived in Xunhua, a violent storm occurred during the night, scattering the people, and the white camel escaped. The next morning, they searched for the white camel but only found a stone statue resembling the white camel near a spring of water. Upon tasting the water, they found it similar to that from their homeland. They took this as a sign from Allah to settle in that place. So they lived and settled there, and the white camel became a symbol of this nationalism. They established their homes, built the Jiexi Mosque, and placed the rare Qur'an copy inside it.

Salar Language

The Salar language belongs to the Turkic language family. Some believe it is part of the Salor dialect due to variations in pronunciation and vocabulary. Due to the influence of Islam, the Salar language also contains a few borrowed Arabic and Persian words used in religious and everyday life. Through interactions with Han, Tibetan, and Hui peoples, it has also absorbed many Chinese and Tibetan words. Today, the Salar people still preserve historical, religious, and literary documents written in Turkish.

Religious Life

The Salar people practice Islam and strictly adhere to its principles. They regularly perform prayers, fasting, and pilgrimage, and celebrate religious holidays such as Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, similar to other Muslim ethnicities in China.

Imams hold a special place among the Salar, overseeing religious practices and playing a significant role in their celebrations.

Xunhua County, where the Salar reside, is home to several notable mosques, including the Mengda Mosque, located in Dachuang Village, Mengda Town, Xunhua County. This is a famous ancient local mosque, initially built during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644 CE).

Mengda means "staying here" in the Salar language. Perhaps because the Salar ancestors migrated here and blended with the local Tibetans, the mosque borrowed some decorative techniques from Tibetan architecture, combining Islamic and Tibetan cultures. The mosque's fronts are adorned with honeycomb patterns, the murals are painted with rich colors, and the carved beams and columns are exquisite.

There is also the Jiexi Mosque, located in Sanlanbahai Village, Jiexi Town, Xunhua County. This is a typical Arab-style building and the second-largest mosque in Qinghai. It houses a handwritten copy of the Qur'an that the Salar ancestors brought with them during their migration eastward 700 years ago. This Qur'an is 1,300 years old and is one of the oldest three copies in the world.

Cultural and Material Heritage of the Salar

The Salar people maintain some unique cultural traditions passed down through generations, including:

• Camel Dance: This is a popular tradition among the Salar and the only preserved traditional Salar performance with its complete content. It narrates the long journey of the Salar ancestors during their migration from Samarkand to Xunhua.
• River Rafting: The Salar, who have lived along the Yellow River for a long time, are skilled in crafting rafts made from sheepskins, a cultural heritage. They manually tie together 12 to 20 goat hides of various sizes into tubes, which are processed using technology to create water bags. After inflating them, they are tied to a wooden frame shaped like a window to form a raft that can be used for swimming or crossing the Yellow River.

Each summer, the Salar hold a rafting competition, where participants dressed in traditional costumes set off together to cross to the other side of the river. Along the way, they must avoid whirlpools and currents, which is a true test of their skills.

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