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HistoryMaps Last Updated: 02/01/2025

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History of Kyrgyzstan

Western Liao: A Buddhist Dynasty in Central Asia

© HistoryMaps

History of Kyrgyzstan

Western Liao: A Buddhist Dynasty in Central Asia

1124 Jan 1 - 1218
Central Asia
Western Liao: A Buddhist Dynasty in Central Asia
The Qara Khitai, or Kara Khitai, also known as the Western Liao was a dynastic regime based in Central Asia ruled by the Yelü clan of the Khitan people. © HistoryMaps

By the early 12th century, the Kara-Khanid Khanate had weakened significantly, leaving the territory of modern Kyrgyzstan vulnerable to conquest. It was during this period that the Mongolic Khitan people, led by Yelü Dashi, established the Kara-Khitan Khanate, also known as the Western Liao (1124–1218). This state arose after Yelü Dashi and approximately 100,000 Khitan followers fled the Jurchen conquest of their native Khitan dynasty.


Map of Western Liao (Qara Khitai) Empire as of 1160 AD when it was at the greatest extent. © SY

Map of Western Liao (Qara Khitai) Empire as of 1160 AD when it was at the greatest extent. © SY


The Khitan conquest of Central Asia, including Kyrgyzstan, represented an internal struggle within the Karluk Turkic tribes. The Buddhist Khitan elites defeated the Muslim Kara-Khanid princes, asserting dominance over the region. This shift also resulted in the subjugation of Muslim Karluks by their kin who adhered to Nestorian Christianity and Buddhism, creating a new dynamic in the region's political and cultural landscape. The Kara-Khitan Khanate marked another chapter in the layered history of Central Asia’s complex interplay of religions, tribes, and empires.

Page Last Updated: 12/25/2024

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