Kingdom of Qocho

Origins

After the Uyghur Khaganate fell in 840, Uyghur groups moved south-west to the Tian Shan oases. By 856 they controlled Turfan and Beshbaliq, with Qocho (Gaochang) as a winter capital, establishing a kingdom under rulers with the title idiqut.

Rule and society

The Uyghurs adapted to oasis life, with irrigated fields, vineyards and cotton. The court first favoured Manichaeism, but Buddhism became dominant, and the Bezeklik caves were decorated with murals of Uyghur donors. The Uyghur script, derived from Sogdian, was used for a large literature of Buddhist and other texts, and Uyghur scribes later served the Mongols.

Decline and legacy

The kingdom became a vassal of the Qara Khitai, and in 1209 the idiqut Barchuq Art Tegin submitted to Genghis Khan. Under the Mongols it remained a privileged vassal until rule passed to the Chagatai Khanate in the 14th century.