East Turkestan: Map & History
East Turkestan or East Turkistan is a loosely defined geographical region in the northwestern part of the People's Republic of China, on the cross roads of East and Central Asia.
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Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
East Turkestan or East Turkistan is a loosely defined geographical region in the northwestern part of the People's Republic of China, on the cross roads of East and Central Asia. The term was coined in the 19th century by Russian Turkologists, including Nikita Bichurin, who intended the name to replace the common Western term for the region, "Chinese Turkestan", which referred to the Tarim Basin in Southern Xinjiang. Beginning in the 17th century, Altishahr, which means "Six Cities" in Uyghur, became the Uyghur name for the Tarim Basin. Uyghurs also called the Tarim Basin "Yettishar," which means "Seven Cities," and even "Sekkizshahr", which means "Eight Cities" in Uyghur. Chinese dynasties from the Han dynasty to the Tang dynasty had called an overlapping area the "Western Regions".
Modern Countries Once Part of East Turkestan
At its mapped extent, East Turkestan covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside East Turkestan's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
East Turkestan in Depth
History
In China, the term Western Regions (Chinese: 西域; pinyin: Xīyù; Wade–Giles: Hsi1-yü4; Uyghur: Qurighar, Қуриғар) referred to the regions west of the Yumen Pass. During the 2nd century BC, Chinese writers called the city states of the northern and southern rim of the Taklamakan Desert the "Walled city-states of the Western Regions". In 60 BC, the Han dynasty established the Protectorate of the Western Regions "in charge of all the oasis-states of the Tarim Basin" which they ruled in indirectly with small agricultural military colonies. The Protector General was stationed at Wulei (west of Karasahr). The city-states were able to conduct their own independent policies with each other.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: East Turkestan (CC BY-SA 4.0).
East Turkestan Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 1,080,074 km² in 1465 CE.
East Turkestan: Frequently Asked Questions
When did East Turkestan exist?
East Turkestan is dated to 1463 CE – 1474 CE, in the Early Modern & Age of Discovery era.
How large was East Turkestan at its peak?
At its peak in 1465 AD East Turkestan covered about 1,080,074 km².
Other Sovereign Realms
High & Late Middle Ages • Capital: Avarga
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Söğüt, Bursa, Edirne, Constantinople
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Lahore, Delhi
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Raigad