Manicheism

China

Al-Jahiz (776–868 or 869) believed that the peaceful lifestyle that Manicheism brought to the Uyghurs was responsible for their later lack of military skills and eventual decline. This, however, is contradicted by the political and military consequences of the conversion. After the Uyghurs migrated to Turfan in the ninth century, the nobility maintained Manichaean beliefs for a time before converting to Buddhism. Traces of Manicheism among the Uyghurs in Turfan may be detected in fragments of Uyghur Manichaean manuscripts. In fact, Manichaeism continued to rival Buddhism in influence among the Uyghurs until the 13th century. The Mongols gave the final blow to Manichaeism among the Uyghurs.