Western Turkic Khaganate: A Visual History

The Western Turkic Khaganate emerged from the split of the Gokturk empire around 603 and ruled the steppes from Dzungaria to the Caspian, plus the Sogdian cities and briefly Bactria. Under Tong Yabghu (about 618-628) it allied with Heraclius against Persia and hosted the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang. Feuds between its Duolu and Nushibi tribal wings let the Tang intervene; Ashina Helu was captured in 657 and the western Turks became Tang protectorate clients, from which the Turgesh emerged around 699 and the last Ashina puppet vanished by 742.

When it existed: the era ribbon

The bold bar is Western Turkic Khaganate. The lighter bars are empires and wars from the same era and the same part of the world. Click any bar to jump to its page.

Western Turkic territory

Timeline of the Western Turkic Khaganate

1. 603
   Western khaganate independent
2. 618
   Tong Yabghu Khagan
3. 627
   Turks sack Tbilisi with Heraclius
4. 630
   Xuanzang visits SuyabTong Yabghu murdered.
5. 651
   Ashina Helu unifies the tribes
6. 657
   Helu captured by the Tang
7. 699
   Turgesh take control
8. 742
   Last Ashina khagan

Ten Arrows

The western Turks were organised as the On Oq, ten tribes each led by a chief given an arrow. From Suyab in the Chu valley they controlled the Sogdian merchant cities and the Silk Road, and clashed with Sasanian Persia over Bactria and with the Hephthalite remnants.

Tong Yabghu

Tong Yabghu Khagan extended his power to Kabul and the Hindu Kush and installed his sons as governors. In 627 his forces joined Heraclius in the Caucasus, sacking Tbilisi and helping the Byzantines defeat Khosrow II. Xuanzang visited his camp in 630 and described its silk-clad splendour. Shortly afterwards Tong Yabghu was murdered by his uncle.

Tang takeover

Civil war between the tribal wings followed. The Tang, having destroyed the eastern Turks in 630, played the factions off; Ashina Helu united the west briefly but was defeated and captured by the general Su Dingfang in 657. The Tang ruled through Ashina puppet khagans and protectorates until the Turgesh under Wuzhile displaced them; the Turgesh in turn were crushed by the Arabs and Tang by 744, and the Karluks took over the region.

Related empires and wars

Chosen automatically by overlap in time and geography, plus a few hand picked connections.

Empires of the same era and region

• First Turkic Khaganate (552 to 603)
• Eastern Turkic Khaganate (603 to 630)
• Sasanian Empire (224 to 651)
• Byzantine Empire (395 to 1453)
• Tang dynasty (618 to 907)
• Hephthalite Empire (440 to 560)
• Khazar Khanate (650 to 969)
• Tibetan Empire (618 to 842)

8 surprising things about the Western Turkic Khaganate

1. The On Oq name (Ten Arrows) is thought by some to survive in the name of the Onogur Bulgars, though this is disputed.
2. Xuanzang described Tong Yabghu's court with hundreds of officers in brocade, hair in braids, and endless wine.
3. Byzantine sources call the khagan who helped Heraclius 'Ziebel' and say the emperor promised him his daughter.
4. Suyab, the capital, was later a Tang garrison and is the traditional birthplace of the poet Li Bai.
5. The western Turks minted coins in Sogdian style with their own tamgas.
6. The Turkic conquest of Bactria brought Turkic Shahi rulers to Kabul who fought the Arabs for two centuries.
7. The Tang general Su Dingfang chased Helu 1,500 km to Tashkent to catch him.
8. The Karluks who took over the region later founded the Kara-Khanid state, the first Turkic Muslim dynasty.

Sources

• Western Turkic Khaganate Wikipedia
• Turk (people) Encyclopaedia Britannica
• Gokturks World History Encyclopedia
• Peter B. Golden, An Introduction to the History of the Turkic Peoples (1992) Harrassowitz

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