principality · Central Asia and the Steppe

Principality of Khuttal

600 CE – 751 CE (approx.) · capital Hulbuk

A mountain principality north of the Amu Darya, famed for its horses, whose kings resisted the Arab conquest for decades.

Origins

Khuttal lay between the Vakhsh and Panj rivers in what is now southern Tajikistan. It emerged in the 6th and 7th centuries as one of the principalities of Tokharistan under Hephthalite and then Turkic overlordship, ruled by kings with the title Khuttalan-shah, and its capital is identified with Hulbuk.

Rule and society

Khuttal was a land of valleys and mountain pastures known for horses and for its warrior aristocracy. Its rulers bore Turkic or Hephthalite titles and maintained ties with the Yabghus of Tokharistan, the Turgesh Khaganate and Tang China. The king al-Sabal fought the Umayyad governors in the 720s and 730s.

Decline and legacy

Khuttal accepted Abbasid suzerainty after the mid-8th century, and its local dynasty continued as vassals for a time. It later became a province of the Samanid Empire, and the palace of Hulbuk flourished under its Islamic-era governors.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (2)

More states of Central Asia and the Steppe →

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻