"Muqam" is a kind of Islamic music that is distributed in 19 nations and regions of Middle Asia, South Asia, West Asia and North Africa. "Muqam Art of Uygur Minority of Xinjiang in China" is the umbrella name of all the Muqam that is popular in the Uygur residence area in Xinjiang. It is represented by "Twelve Muqam", including twelve classical pieces of music such as Lake, Qiebiyate, Muxiawulaike, Qiaerga, Panjiga, Wuzihale, Aiqie, Wuxiake, Bayati, Nawa, Siga, Yilake.
Twelve Muqam is originated from the aboriginal culture of the Western Regions (a Han Dynasty term for the area west of Yumenguan, including what is now Xinjiang and parts of Central Asia); it is also greatly influenced by Islamic culture. From the 14th to the 15th Century, many literary men, poets, musicians and literary and artistic works appeared in Xinjiang Region of China. Twelve Muqam was among the literary and artistic works. Yarkand Khanate that was established between the 15th to the 16th Century was very important in the history of Uygur because Seyid Khan, the founder of the nation had played a very important role in popularizing and unitizing the culture and literature of Uygur. Abudurexiti Khan, the son of Seyid Khan, succeeded the throne. He was even more enthusiastic about developing and improving the literary and artistic causes. Twelve Muqam was completed under his charge. This palace music canon was based on the profound musical and cultural foundation of Uygur and drew the materials from the Muqam and folk song resources among the people of Uygur. It was a standardized and authoritative music divertimento that was systematically processed, compiled and sorted out. It takes 24 hours to play the whole set of music and the accompaniment musical instruments include Shataer, Tanboer, Rewapu, tambourine, Dutaer and so on. Twelve Muqam also has some local variants among which "Daolang Muqam" and "Hami Muqam" are relatively famous and have their distinctive features.
Twelve Muqam is a set of music masterpieces that combines the knowledge, wisdom and skills of the creators. It is the crystallization of science and technology and the product of humane culture and history. Its formation and development were also subject to the influence of the "Silk Road", the ancient land transportation artery that ran through Europe and China. It is also the crystallization of cultural exchanges of the dance with accompaniment of the east and the west. As a result, it is praised as the "Pearl on the Silk Road" and declared by the UNESCO as the "Representative Work of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Human Beings".