kingdom · China, Tibet and Mongolia

Kara Del

1389 CE – 1513 CE (approx.) · capital Hami

A Mongol-ruled oasis kingdom at Hami, gateway between Ming China and Central Asia, which fell under the control of Turfan in the early 16th century.

Origins

After the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, a branch of the Chinggisid family descended from Chagatai held the oasis of Hami (Kumul) at the eastern end of the Tarim routes. Its prince Gunashiri sent tribute to the Ming Empire from the 1380s, and in 1404 the Ming recognised his successor Engke Temür as Prince of Zhongshun and soon set up the Hami Guard.

Rule and society

Kara Del controlled the road between the Hexi Corridor and Turfan, and its rulers lived by taxing caravans and by the tribute trade with China. Its population included Uyghurs, Mongols and Hui; Buddhism was giving way to Islam. The Ming treated it as the key outpost of its western frontier system.

Decline and legacy

From the 1470s the Muslim rulers of Turfan, descendants of the khans of Moghulistan, repeatedly seized Hami, and Ming attempts to restore its princes failed. In 1513 Hami submitted to Mansur Khan of Turfan, and the kingdom ended. Islam became the dominant faith of the oasis.

Connections (2)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kara Del. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kara-del
MLA
“Kara Del.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kara-del. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kara Del.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kara-del.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kara Del’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kara-del (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻