khanate · Central Asia and the Steppe
Uyghur Khaganate
Origins
The Uyghurs, a leading tribe of the Toquz Oghuz confederation, joined the Basmyls and Karluks to overthrow the Second Turkic Khaganate in 744. Their chief Qutlugh Bilge Kol Qaghan then turned on his allies, becoming master of the Mongolian steppe.
Rule and society
Bayanchur Khan built the walled capital Ordu-Baliq on the Orkhon River. The Uyghurs helped the Tang recover Chang'an and Luoyang from An Lushan's rebels in 757, and won a lucrative trade of horses for silk. In 762 Bogu Qaghan adopted Manichaeism from Sogdian missionaries, making the Uyghurs the only state to adopt it officially. Sogdian scribes and merchants were influential at court.
Decline and legacy
Weakened by famine, epidemic and succession disputes, the khaganate fell in 840 when the Yenisei Kyrgyz Khaganate sacked Ordu-Baliq. Uyghur groups fled south-west, founding the Kingdom of Qocho and the Ganzhou Uyghur state, and later formed part of the Kara-Khanid Khanate.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (1)
- Ganzhou Uyghur Kingdom split from Uyghur Khaganate840 CE – 894 CE
More states of Central Asia and the Steppe →
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Uyghur Khaganate. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/uyghur-khaganate
- MLA
- “Uyghur Khaganate.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/uyghur-khaganate. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Uyghur Khaganate.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/uyghur-khaganate.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Uyghur Khaganate’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/uyghur-khaganate (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻