kingdom · China, Tibet and Mongolia

Kingdom of Shule

200 BCE – 790 CE (approx.) · capital Kashgar

The oasis kingdom of Kashgar at the western end of the Tarim Basin, a crossroads where the Silk Roads met before climbing the Pamirs.

Origins

Shule, the Chinese name for Kashgar, was a city-state at the foot of the Pamirs, recorded by Han sources from the 2nd century BCE. Its people spoke an Eastern Iranian language related to Saka, and it controlled the routes west to Ferghana and Bactria and south towards India.

Rule and society

Shule was ruled by local kings who switched allegiance between the Xiongnu, Kushan, Han and later Turkic powers. In the 70s CE the Han general Ban Chao used it as his base for reconquering the Western Regions. Buddhism was strong, and the city's markets traded silk, horses and jade. Under the Tang Dynasty its kings of the Pei family ruled as one of the Four Garrisons of Anxi.

Decline and legacy

The Tibetan Empire took the Tarim garrisons around 790, ending Tang authority. In the 10th century Kashgar became the capital of the Kara-Khanid Khanate, whose rulers converted to Islam and turned the city into a centre of Turkic Muslim culture.

Connections (1)

  • Kingdom of Shule was a protectorate of Tang Dynasty648 CE – 790 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Shule. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-shule
MLA
“Kingdom of Shule.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-shule. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Shule.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-shule.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Shule’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-shule (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻