khanate · Central Asia and the Steppe

Qara Khitai

1124 CE – 1218 CE · capital Balasagun

A Khitan empire founded in Central Asia by refugees from the fallen Liao dynasty, whose defeat of the Seljuks inspired European legends of Prester John.

Origins

When the Jurchen destroyed the Khitan Liao dynasty in northern China in 1125, the prince Yelü Dashi fled west with followers. He took Balasagun from the Eastern Kara-Khanid Khanate around 1134, proclaimed himself gurkhan and founded the Western Liao, known as Qara Khitai.

Rule and society

The gurkhans ruled a mostly Muslim population through vassal dynasties such as the Kara-Khanids, the Kingdom of Qocho and the Khwarazmshahs, collecting tribute instead of governing directly. The court kept Chinese-style titles and reign names while tolerating all religions. In 1141 Yelü Dashi crushed the Seljuk sultan Ahmad Sanjar at the Qatwan steppe near Samarkand, news of which reached Europe as the legend of Prester John.

Decline and legacy

In 1211 the Naiman prince Kuchlug, a refugee from Genghis Khan, seized the throne, persecuting Muslims. The Khwarazmian Empire took its western lands, and in 1218 Mongol forces under Jebe killed Kuchlug and absorbed Qara Khitai.

Lineage

Liao dynasty 916 CE – 1125 CEQara Khitai

Connections (5)

More states of Central Asia and the Steppe →

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻