Kara-Khanids: Map & History
The Kara-Khanid Khanate, also known as the Karakhanids, Qarakhanids, Ilek Khanids or the Afrasiabids, was a Karluk Turkic khanate that ruled Central Asia from the 9th to the early 13th century.
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The Kara-Khanid Khanate, also known as the Karakhanids, Qarakhanids, Ilek Khanids or the Afrasiabids, was a Karluk Turkic khanate that ruled Central Asia from the 9th to the early 13th century. The dynastic names of Karakhanids and Ilek Khanids refer to royal titles with Kara Khagan being the most important Turkic title up until the end of the dynasty.
Modern Countries Once Part of Kara-Khanids
At its mapped extent, Kara-Khanids covered territory in 5 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Kyrgyzstan850–1045 CE · nearly all
- Tajikistan1000–1045 CE · most
- Uzbekistan1000–1045 CE · most
- Kazakhstan850–1045 CE · a small part
- China850–1045 CE · a small part
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Kara-Khanids'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.
Kara-Khanids in Depth
History
The Kara-Khanid Khanate originated from a confederation formed some time in the 9th century by Karluks, Yagmas, Chigils, Tuhsi, and other peoples living in Zhetysu, Western Tian Shan (modern Kyrgyzstan), and Western Xinjiang around Kashgar. 10th-century Arab historian Al-Masudi listed two "Khagan of Khagans" of the Karluk horde: Sanah, a possible rendition of Ashina (compare Śaya (also by al-Masudi), Aś(i)nas (al-Tabari), Ānsa (Hudud al-'Alam), and Śaba (Ibn Khordadbeh)), and Afrasiab, whom 11th-century Karakhanid scholar Mahmud al-Kashgari identified with Turkic king Alp Er Tunga, the legendary progenitor of the Karakhanid ruling dynasty. Furthermore, Kara-khanid heads of state claimed the title khagan, which indicates that they may have been descended from the Ashina.
Culture
The takeover by the Karakhanids did not change the essentially Iranian character of Central Asia, though it set into motion a demographic and ethnolinguistic shift. During the Karakhanid era, the local population began using Turkic in speech – initially the shift was linguistic with the local people adopting the Turkic language. While Central Asia became Turkicized over the centuries, culturally the Turks came close to being Persianized or, in certain respects, Arabicized. Nevertheless, the official or court language used in Kashgar and other Karakhanid centers, referred to as "Khaqani" (royal), remained Turkic. The language was partly based on dialects spoken by the Turkic tribes that made up the Karakhanids and possessed qualities of linear descent from Kök and Karluk Turkic.
Legacy
Kara-Khanid is arguably the most enduring cultural heritage among coexisting cultures in Central Asia from the 9th to the 13th centuries. The Karluk-Uyghur dialect spoken by the nomadic tribes and Turkified sedentary populations under Kara-Khanid rule formed two major branches of the Turkic language family, the Chagatay and the Kypchak. The Kara-Khanid cultural model that combined nomadic Turkic culture with Islamic, sedentary institutions spread east into former Kara-Khoja and Tangut territories and west and south into the subcontinent, Khorasan (Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Northern Iran), Golden Horde territories (Tataristan), and Turkey.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Kara-Khanid Khanate (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Kara-Khanids: Key Facts
| Capitals | Balasagun, Kashgar |
|---|---|
| Official languages | Persian, Karakhanid |
| Religion | Tengrism |
| Form of government | monarchy |
| Founded | 840 CE |
| Dissolved | 1212 |
Facts from Wikidata Q494354 (CC0).
Kara-Khanids Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Kara-Khanids appears, with the other states of the time.
Kara-Khanids Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 1,310,698 km² in 1042 CE.
Kara-Khanids: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Kara-Khanids exist?
Kara-Khanids is dated to 850 CE – 1045 CE, in the Early Middle Ages era.
What was the capital of Kara-Khanids?
The capital of Kara-Khanids was Balasagun.
How large was Kara-Khanids at its peak?
At its peak in 1042 AD Kara-Khanids covered about 1,310,698 km².
How did the map of Kara-Khanids change over time?
Kara-Khanids appears on 2 dated world maps in the atlas, from 900 CE to 1000 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
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