Protectorate of the Western Regions: Map & History
Protectorate of the Western Regions is mapped in the atlas for 117 CE – 601 CE, with a peak mapped extent of about 695,193 km².
Wikipedia Encyclopedic Compendium
Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
The Protectorate of the Western Regions (simplified Chinese: 西域都护府; traditional Chinese: 西域都護府; pinyin: Xīyù Dūhù Fǔ; Wade–Giles: Hsi1-yü4 Tu1-hu4 Fu3) was an imperial administration (a protectorate) situated in the Western Regions administered by Han dynasty China and its successors on and off from 59 or 60 BCE until the end of the Sixteen Kingdoms period in 439 AD. The "Western Regions" refers to areas west of Yumen Pass, especially the Tarim Basin in southern Xinjiang. These areas would later be termed Altishahr (southern Xinjiang, excluding Dzungaria) by Turkic-speaking peoples. The term "western regions" was also used by the Chinese more generally to refer to Central Asia.
Modern Countries Once Part of Protectorate of the Western Regions
At its mapped extent, Protectorate of the Western Regions 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 Protectorate of the Western Regions'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.
Protectorate of the Western Regions in Depth
History
Prior to the establishment of the protectorate, there was a preceding post known as the "Colonel [for the Assistance of Imperial] Envoys" that was established a year after the War of the Heavenly Horses ended in 101 BC. After the war, Han posts were erected between Dunhuang and the Salt Marsh with several hundred farmer soldiers stationed at Lúntái and Qúlí. The post was established to guard their farmland and to take care of grain storage for Han envoys traveling to other states. Lúntái 輪臺 (Minimal Old Chinese *run-də̂, Later Han luin-də), formerly transcribed Lúntóu 侖頭 (Minimal Old Chinese *run-dô, Later Han *luin-do), had been earlier destroyed by the Chinese general Lǐ Guǎnglì 李廣利 in 102 BCE.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Protectorate of the Western Regions (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Protectorate of the Western Regions Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Protectorate of the Western Regions appears, with the other states of the time.
Protectorate of the Western Regions Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 695,193 km² in 346 CE.
Protectorate of the Western Regions: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Protectorate of the Western Regions exist?
Protectorate of the Western Regions is dated to 117 CE – 601 CE, in the Classical Antiquity era.
How large was Protectorate of the Western Regions at its peak?
At its peak in 346 AD Protectorate of the Western Regions covered about 695,193 km².
How did the map of Protectorate of the Western Regions change over time?
Protectorate of the Western Regions appears on 5 dated world maps in the atlas, from 117 CE to 600 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.