or Urumchi or Wu-lu-mu-ch'i
City (pop., 1999 est.: 1,258,457), capital of Xinjiang autonomous region, northwestern China.
Situated along the northern face of the Tien Shan , it first came under Chinese control in the 7th–8th centuries and became an important centre for caravans en route to Turkistan . The Uighur s had control from с 750 until the resumption of Chinese rule in the 18th century. The city was held by Muslim rebels in 1864–76. When the province of Xinjiang was established in 1884, Ürümqi became its capital. It grew rapidly into the greatest city and centre of trade in Central Asia. It is located in a coal-mining and petroleum-producing area; its chief manufactures include iron and steel, agricultural machinery, and chemicals.