The Chagatai language reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004
(provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Chagatai language

For thoughtful child sponsors
Chagatai language is an extinct Turkic language spoken in Central Asia.

It was developed as a sophisticated written language using the Arabic alphabet. It was heavily influenced by Arabic and Persian. It served as a lingua france in Central Asia.

The USSR replaced Chagatai language with discrete languages based on the vernaculars to separate Turkic peoples.

Famous Chagatai literature: Baburnama