Kingdoms in and about the Taklamakan

[loongdu]

I am interested in the various kingdoms which may have existed in or around the Taklamakan Desert, especially those before the 13th century.

What kingdoms existed, and where were they based?

[H. İhsan Erkoç]

Greetings loongdu, welcome aboard I think this map showing the kingdoms of the region in the 3rd century AD would make you have an idea:



I can give you additional information if you want.


Note: just noticed that the map doesn't include Hami (Qumul) which is located east of Turfan.

[loongdu]

Thanks for that very much. I am new to the forum, as you have noticed. I am actually from the China History Forum, but needed specialised advice about the Taklamakan.

Is much known about settlement along the rivers that ran off the Tibetan Plateau, especially the Hotan River and the Keriya River? Were there any towns in these areas in the 3rd century AD?

[H. İhsan Erkoç]

Oh well, here is what I know:

Turfan: During the Asian Hun (Xiongnu 匈奴) or Chinese Han 漢 period, there was a kingdom in the region known in Chinese as Cheshi 車師. After the disappearance of this state in 450, a new kingdom appeared in the region with the name Gaochang 高昌, which was originially the name of an area inside the old kingdom (the dynasty was of Chinese origin, but the residents were Tokharians). The Chinese destroyed the kingdom in 640 and renamed the region as Xizhou (Western Prefecture) 西州. After the Uyġur Qaġanate in Mongolia was destroyed in 840, a group of Uyġurs migrated to the region and established their own kingdom. During the Uyġur period, the area was known as Qočo or Qoču. The capital of this kingdom, today known as Idiqut Šehri (City of Idiqut) and located 40 kilometers southeast of the modern city of Turpan, was destroyed in 1275; after it's destruction, a new city was established five kilometers west, and named Qaraqočo or Qarakhoja.

Qarašar: A Tokharian kingdom in the region had been in existence since the Han Dynasty period. The original name of this kingdom was Agni (Indian fire god), which became Argi, Arki and Arśi in the local Agnian dialect of Tokharian. In Tang 唐 period Chinese sources, the kingdom was written as Aqini 阿耆尼 and Yanqi 焉耆; during the Mongol period, the region was known with the Turkic name Il Balïq (written as Yile Bali 伊勒巴拉). The city of Agni was destroyed in 1757 during the Manchu-Jungar War; a year later, the city of Anjiyan 安集延 near Agni was extended and renamed as Qarašar or Qarašahr (meaning "Black City"). Since 1898, the city is being called Yanqi in Chinese.

Kuča: Just like Qarašar, the Tokharian kingdom of Kuča or more correctly Kučā had been in existence since the Han period. The original Tokharian version of the kingdom's name was probably Kuci meaning "White". During the Han and Tang periods, the Chinese called this kingdom as Qiuci 龜茲 but sometimes used other names such as Quzhi 屈支, Qiuci 丘茲, Quci 屈茲, Guici 歸茲 (Kucina), Quci 屈茨, Yuezhi 月氏, Yuezhi 月支, Juyi 拘夷, Juzhinang 俱支曩 (Kucinan) and Juzhina 拘止那; while it was the center of Tang Chinese Anxi Great Garrison (Anxi Daduhufu 安西大都護府), it was known as Anxi 安西. The Uyġurs called this city Küsän or Küšän while 11th-century Turks used Köčä and Küsän (the modern Uyġurs call it Kučar). During the Mongol period, the city was known as Quxian 曲先, Küsän (Kuxian 苦先) and Köčä (Kucha 苦叉, Kuche 庫徹); after the Manchu occupation of the region in 1758, it was renamed as Kuche 庫車.

Khotan: This was perhaps the most different among pre-Turkic kingdoms of the Tarim Basin, because it was Iranic and it was the longest-lived; the local language Khotanese was East Iranic but the kingdom was also under Indian influence, while the population is thought to be a mixture of Iranic and Tibetans. The original Iranic Khotanese version of the kingdom's name was probably Godan, which developed to Gostāna and Gostan; Go is a word meaning "Country" in Khotanese. Khotan was founded as a kingdom during the 3rd century BC and existed until it's destruction by the Qarakhanid Turks in the very beginning of the 11th century. The Chinese called Khotan in their language as Qusadana 瞿薩旦那, Yutian 于闐 and Huanna 渙那 while the Uyġurs used Udun. The ruins of ancient Khotan is thought to be near the modern city of Khotən (Hetian 和田) but it hasn't been discovered yet.


Well, that's all what I know