Qocho Kingdom: Map & History
Qocho or Kara-Khoja, also known as Idiqut, was a Uyghur kingdom created in 843, with strong Chinese Buddhist and Tocharian influences.
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Qocho or Kara-Khoja, also known as Idiqut, was a Uyghur kingdom created in 843, with strong Chinese Buddhist and Tocharian influences. It was founded by refugees fleeing the destruction of the Uyghur Khaganate after being driven out by the Yenisei Kirghiz. They made their winter capital in Qocho and summer capital in Beshbalik. Its population is referred to as the "Xizhou Uyghurs" after the old Tang Chinese name for Gaochang, the "Qocho Uyghurs" after their capital, the "Kucha Uyghurs" after another city they controlled, or the "Arslan ("Lion") Uyghurs" after their king's title.
Modern Countries Once Part of Qocho Kingdom
At its mapped extent, Qocho Kingdom 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 Qocho Kingdom'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.
Qocho Kingdom in Depth
History
In 843, a group of Uyghurs migrated southward under the leadership of Pangtele, and occupied Karasahr and Kucha, taking them from the Tibetan Empire.
In 856, this group of Uyghurs received royal recognition from the Tang dynasty. At this time, their capital was in Karasahr (Yanqi).
The land of the Uighurs is very large, so large that to the west it appears boundless. In the fourth and fifth months, all vegetation dries up as if it were winter. The mountains are snow-covered even in summer. When the sun rises it becomes hot, but as soon as it sets, it grows cold. Even in the sixth lunar month (i.e., the peak of summer), people must use wadded coverlets to sleep. It does not rain in summer. The rain only starts to fall in autumn, and then the vegetation begins to sprout.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Qocho (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Qocho Kingdom: Key Facts
| Capital | Beiting |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 1335 |
Facts from Wikidata Q2662180 (CC0).
Qocho Kingdom Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Qocho Kingdom appears, with the other states of the time.
Qocho Kingdom Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 653,223 km² in 1082 CE.
Qocho Kingdom: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Qocho Kingdom exist?
The Qocho Kingdom is dated to 860 CE – 1138 CE, in the Early Middle Ages era.
What was the capital of the Qocho Kingdom?
The capital of the Qocho Kingdom was Gaochang (Qocho), Beshbalik (Beiting/Tingzhou).
How large was the Qocho Kingdom at its peak?
At its peak in 1082 AD the Qocho Kingdom covered about 653,223 km².
How did the map of the Qocho Kingdom change over time?
The Qocho Kingdom appears on 3 dated world maps in the atlas, from 900 CE to 1100 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
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