The Arrival of the Mongols

 

The Mongol empire ruled by Genghis Khan conquered the Kara-Khitan in 1218. After the disintegration of the Mongol Empire, Xinjiang was ruled by the Chagatai Khanate, one of the successor states of the empire. In the 15th century, the Chagatai Khanate evolved into separate states in Gulja, Yarkand, and Turpan.

 

A Mongol archer. Photo courtesy of the Asian Studies Center, Michigan State University.

 

In the 17th century, the Dzungars, a tribe of the Oirat Mongols, established an empire over the majority of the region. They controlled a vast area known as the Grand Tartary or the Kalmyk Empire, which stretched from the Great Wall of China to the Don River, and from the Himalayas to Siberia.

A map featuring the Grand Tartary region. Photo courtesy of Antiquariat Reinhold Berg.