Bayanchur Khan
Encyclopedia
Bayanchur Khan , was an Uyghur
khagan
from 747 to 759 AD. His official titles were "Ay Tengrida Qut Bolmish" and "El Etmish Bilge Qaghan" ("born with glory on Moon Heaven" and "state settled wise ruler"). His Tang Dynasty
-invested title was Yingwuweiyuanpiqiejuo Khan (英武威遠毗伽闕可汗) or Yingwu Khan (英武可汗) in short. He was succeeded in the Uyghur Khaganate by his son Bogu Tekin (759-779 AD)
Bayanchur succeeded his father, Guli Peilo, who had headed the rebellion against the Göktürks
, annihilated them and had established in 744 the Uyghur Khaganate ( known as third uyghur " El " or khaganate ).
Bayanchur Khan belonged to the ruling Yaghlaqar ("people of the Sun") tribe of the on-uyghur confederation of ten tribes ( known as northern alliance ) and toquz-oghuz confederation of nine tribes ( known as southern alliance ). At that time both allied confederations adopted a name, Uyghur
, which composed of two elements: Uy or Uymak ("to bond") and Ghur ("the people"), i.e. " United people " or " free confederation of people (Erkin Budun), voluntarily bound into an alliance ".
In 751, Bayanchur established the new capital in the Orkhon Valley
and named it Ordu- Balik
. It was built with help of the invited Chinese and Sogdian
builders at the foot of the sacred Otukan. The city had city walls made of brown bricks and was probably ringed with a rectangular moat. There was a detached citadel fortified by walls with two gates and watch towers, where the Khagan
and his nobles lived with their families.
About seven years later, Ordu- Balik was followed by Bai-Balik ("rich city") on the Selenge River
. Its construction was a result of the empire's expansion north to Lake Baikal
("rich lake").
In October 756 Bayanchur Khan came to Tang China to rescue Tang Dynasty
from collapse during An Lushan Rebellion and to quell rebels. This military expedition was preceded by Treaty of Peace and Alliance with newly ascended Emperor Suzong of Tang
, who took in marriage Uyghur princess while Bayanchur himself was given Chinese princess Ninguo. In December 756 Bayanchur joined his 4,000 selected cavalry with Tang forces which launched operations against rebels, these operations were successful and in 757 joined troops liberated from rebels the capital Chang'An
. For this campaign Uyghurs took tribute from China in 10,000 rolls of silk, later ( in 762) Treaty was concluded of annual exchanging of horses from Uyghur Empire for silk rolls from Tang China, each horse was paid by 40 rolls of silk, for 20,000 of silk rolls Uyghurs had obligation to supply 500 selected horses, it was a concealed kind of annual tributes or reparations for saving of Tang Dynasty from annihilation.
Bayanchur Khan erected a number of Bitig Tash (stone steles) during his life-time with Runic Turkic inscriptions on them to preserve the memory of Uyghur Els for future generations. Most famous stele is the granite stele inserted to the base in the shape of Turtle (Tariat inscriptions), on which Bayanchur Khan described not only current events, but also made references to the previous Uyghur Els (First and Second Uyghur Khaganates). First Uyghur El was ruled by 3 prominent Uyghur khagans and existed about 200 years. Then it died and about 100 years another foreign power ruled Uyghurs on the Orkhon River( "Qalmisi Budun On-Uyghur, Tokuz-Oghuz uza yuz yil olurups "- Remaining people of On-Uyghur, Tokuz-Oghuz they 100 years ruled"). Then Uyghurs rebelled and Second Uyghur El was founded by Yaghlaqar clan in around 605 AD, giving the beginning of Yaghlaqar Dynasty ( it was in power for around 400 years, last Yaghlaqar Khagan of Uyghur Ganzhou Kingdom in Gansu
was killed by Tanguts in 1028 AD). It existed about 80 years and collapsed when ruling Bazh Khagan was killed by Gokturks in 688. Then for around 50 years Gokturks ruled Uyghurs. Rebellion against Gokturks was launched in 742 again by Yaghlaqars who fled to Ganzhou in Gansu after Bazh Khagan death and returned to Orkhon after 50 years, united with other Tokuz-Oghuz tribes and overthrew all enemies.
Bayanchur Khan died soon after ending his successful expedition against hostile tribes of the Sayan Mountains
in the summer of 759 AD, during a feast devoted to this victory. Por-Bazhyn
( Kasar Korug in Uyghur runic inscriptions, summer residence of Bayanchur Khan) was among seventeen brick forts that had been erected during that and previous khagan expeditions ( 751, 756, 758 ) in Tuva
with permanently stationed garrisons to guard the sources of the Yenisei River and northern borders of the Khaganate, most forts were connected with each other by stone defense wall, stretched for hundreds of miles, this wall was later known as Chengiz Khan's wall, remnants of most forts, fourteen, known as Shagonar
cities, were discovered in 50's of XX century, but not investigated and soon engulfed by water of giant Water Reservoir due to erection of Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam in Khakassia
on Yenisei River in 70's) . The purpose of these expeditions was a neutralization of the emerged and permanently growing threat from the North from Kyrgyz tribes, the treat which proved to be fatal in 840 AD, when the Uyghur Empire collapsed.
Uyghur people
The Uyghur are a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. Today, Uyghurs live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China...
khagan
Khagan
Khagan or qagan , alternatively spelled kagan, khaghan, qaghan, or chagan, is a title of imperial rank in the Mongolian and Turkic languages equal to the status of emperor and someone who rules a khaganate...
from 747 to 759 AD. His official titles were "Ay Tengrida Qut Bolmish" and "El Etmish Bilge Qaghan" ("born with glory on Moon Heaven" and "state settled wise ruler"). His Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
-invested title was Yingwuweiyuanpiqiejuo Khan (英武威遠毗伽闕可汗) or Yingwu Khan (英武可汗) in short. He was succeeded in the Uyghur Khaganate by his son Bogu Tekin (759-779 AD)
Bayanchur succeeded his father, Guli Peilo, who had headed the rebellion against the Göktürks
Göktürks
The Göktürks or Kök Türks, were a nomadic confederation of peoples in medieval Inner Asia. Known in Chinese sources as 突厥 , the Göktürks under the leadership of Bumin Qaghan The Göktürks or Kök Türks, (Old Turkic: Türük or Kök Türük or Türük; Celestial Turks) were a nomadic confederation of...
, annihilated them and had established in 744 the Uyghur Khaganate ( known as third uyghur " El " or khaganate ).
Bayanchur Khan belonged to the ruling Yaghlaqar ("people of the Sun") tribe of the on-uyghur confederation of ten tribes ( known as northern alliance ) and toquz-oghuz confederation of nine tribes ( known as southern alliance ). At that time both allied confederations adopted a name, Uyghur
Uyghur language
Uyghur , formerly known as Eastern Turk, is a Turkic language with 8 to 11 million speakers, spoken primarily by the Uyghur people in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of Western China. Significant communities of Uyghur-speakers are located in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and various other...
, which composed of two elements: Uy or Uymak ("to bond") and Ghur ("the people"), i.e. " United people " or " free confederation of people (Erkin Budun), voluntarily bound into an alliance ".
In 751, Bayanchur established the new capital in the Orkhon Valley
Orkhon Valley
Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape sprawls along the banks of the Orkhon River in Central Mongolia, some 360 km west from the capital Ulaanbaatar. It was inscribed by UNESCO in the World Heritage List as representing evolution of nomadic pastoral traditions spanning more than two millennia...
and named it Ordu- Balik
Ordu-Baliq
Ordu-Baliqalso spelled Ordu Balykh, Ordu Balik, Ordu-Baliq, Ordu Balig, Ordu Baligh , also known as Mubalik, was the capital of the first Uyghur Empire, built on the site of the former Göktürk imperial capital, 17 km north-to-northeast of the later Mongol capital, Karakorum...
. It was built with help of the invited Chinese and Sogdian
Sogdiana
Sogdiana or Sogdia was the ancient civilization of an Iranian people and a province of the Achaemenid Empire, eighteenth in the list on the Behistun Inscription of Darius the Great . Sogdiana is "listed" as the second of the "good lands and countries" that Ahura Mazda created...
builders at the foot of the sacred Otukan. The city had city walls made of brown bricks and was probably ringed with a rectangular moat. There was a detached citadel fortified by walls with two gates and watch towers, where the Khagan
Khagan
Khagan or qagan , alternatively spelled kagan, khaghan, qaghan, or chagan, is a title of imperial rank in the Mongolian and Turkic languages equal to the status of emperor and someone who rules a khaganate...
and his nobles lived with their families.
About seven years later, Ordu- Balik was followed by Bai-Balik ("rich city") on the Selenge River
Selenga
The Selenge is a major river in Mongolia and Buryatia, Russia. Its source rivers are the Ider River and the Delgermörön river. It flows into Lake Baikal and has a length of 616 miles...
. Its construction was a result of the empire's expansion north to Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal is the world's oldest at 30 million years old and deepest lake with an average depth of 744.4 metres.Located in the south of the Russian region of Siberia, between Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryat Republic to the southeast, it is the most voluminous freshwater lake in the...
("rich lake").
In October 756 Bayanchur Khan came to Tang China to rescue Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
from collapse during An Lushan Rebellion and to quell rebels. This military expedition was preceded by Treaty of Peace and Alliance with newly ascended Emperor Suzong of Tang
Emperor Suzong of Tang
Emperor Suzong of Tang , personal name Li Heng , né Li Sisheng , known as Li Jun from 725 to 736, known as Li Yu from 736 to 738, known briefly as Li Shao in 738, was an emperor of the Tang Dynasty and the son of Emperor Xuanzong...
, who took in marriage Uyghur princess while Bayanchur himself was given Chinese princess Ninguo. In December 756 Bayanchur joined his 4,000 selected cavalry with Tang forces which launched operations against rebels, these operations were successful and in 757 joined troops liberated from rebels the capital Chang'An
Chang'an
Chang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...
. For this campaign Uyghurs took tribute from China in 10,000 rolls of silk, later ( in 762) Treaty was concluded of annual exchanging of horses from Uyghur Empire for silk rolls from Tang China, each horse was paid by 40 rolls of silk, for 20,000 of silk rolls Uyghurs had obligation to supply 500 selected horses, it was a concealed kind of annual tributes or reparations for saving of Tang Dynasty from annihilation.
Bayanchur Khan erected a number of Bitig Tash (stone steles) during his life-time with Runic Turkic inscriptions on them to preserve the memory of Uyghur Els for future generations. Most famous stele is the granite stele inserted to the base in the shape of Turtle (Tariat inscriptions), on which Bayanchur Khan described not only current events, but also made references to the previous Uyghur Els (First and Second Uyghur Khaganates). First Uyghur El was ruled by 3 prominent Uyghur khagans and existed about 200 years. Then it died and about 100 years another foreign power ruled Uyghurs on the Orkhon River( "Qalmisi Budun On-Uyghur, Tokuz-Oghuz uza yuz yil olurups "- Remaining people of On-Uyghur, Tokuz-Oghuz they 100 years ruled"). Then Uyghurs rebelled and Second Uyghur El was founded by Yaghlaqar clan in around 605 AD, giving the beginning of Yaghlaqar Dynasty ( it was in power for around 400 years, last Yaghlaqar Khagan of Uyghur Ganzhou Kingdom in Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
was killed by Tanguts in 1028 AD). It existed about 80 years and collapsed when ruling Bazh Khagan was killed by Gokturks in 688. Then for around 50 years Gokturks ruled Uyghurs. Rebellion against Gokturks was launched in 742 again by Yaghlaqars who fled to Ganzhou in Gansu after Bazh Khagan death and returned to Orkhon after 50 years, united with other Tokuz-Oghuz tribes and overthrew all enemies.
Bayanchur Khan died soon after ending his successful expedition against hostile tribes of the Sayan Mountains
Sayan Mountains
The Sayan Mountains are a mountain range between northwestern Mongolia and southern Siberia, Russia.The Eastern Sayan extends from the Yenisei River at 92° E to the southwest end of Lake Baikal at 106° E...
in the summer of 759 AD, during a feast devoted to this victory. Por-Bazhyn
Por-Bazhyn
Por-Bazhyn is the name of a ruined structure attributed to the Uyghur Khaganate. It is located on an island in the middle of Tere-Khol, a lake in Tuva. The name Por-Bazhyn translates from the Tuvan language as "earthenware house"....
( Kasar Korug in Uyghur runic inscriptions, summer residence of Bayanchur Khan) was among seventeen brick forts that had been erected during that and previous khagan expeditions ( 751, 756, 758 ) in Tuva
Tuva
The Tyva Republic , or Tuva , is a federal subject of Russia . It lies in the geographical center of Asia, in southern Siberia. The republic borders with the Altai Republic, the Republic of Khakassia, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Irkutsk Oblast, and the Republic of Buryatia in Russia and with Mongolia to the...
with permanently stationed garrisons to guard the sources of the Yenisei River and northern borders of the Khaganate, most forts were connected with each other by stone defense wall, stretched for hundreds of miles, this wall was later known as Chengiz Khan's wall, remnants of most forts, fourteen, known as Shagonar
Shagonar
Shagonar is a town and the administrative center of Ulug-Khemsky District of the Tuva Republic, Russia, located on the left bank of the Yenisei west of Kyzyl. Population: It had been known since 1888. Town status was granted to it in 1945....
cities, were discovered in 50's of XX century, but not investigated and soon engulfed by water of giant Water Reservoir due to erection of Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam in Khakassia
Khakassia
The Republic of Khakassia or Khakasiya is a federal subject of Russia located in south-central Siberia. Its capital city is Abakan, which is also the largest city in the republic...
on Yenisei River in 70's) . The purpose of these expeditions was a neutralization of the emerged and permanently growing threat from the North from Kyrgyz tribes, the treat which proved to be fatal in 840 AD, when the Uyghur Empire collapsed.
External links
- The ruins of walls of Ordu-BaliqOrdu-BaliqOrdu-Baliqalso spelled Ordu Balykh, Ordu Balik, Ordu-Baliq, Ordu Balig, Ordu Baligh , also known as Mubalik, was the capital of the first Uyghur Empire, built on the site of the former Göktürk imperial capital, 17 km north-to-northeast of the later Mongol capital, Karakorum...
city- former UyghurUyghur peopleThe Uyghur are a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. Today, Uyghurs live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China...
capital (MongoliaMongoliaMongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
) are at coordinates 47.431288°N 102.659349°W - The ruins of walls of Uyghur fortress on island in Tere-Kol lake - source of Yenisey River (Tuva Republic, Russia) are at coordinates 50.6151°N 97.3847°W
- The ruins of Uyghur King Palace in Karakhoja (Turpan Basin in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of ChinaChina , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
) are at coordinates 42.8505°N 89.5195°W - http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/images/c/cn-xj.gif Present Uyghur flag (prohibited in communist China). Contains five- point white star, pentagram, well known symbol of "Power" (represents all five fingers of hand- Unity, or orientations- forward, backward, left, right, above). Background is blue with crescentCrescentIn art and symbolism, a crescent is generally the shape produced when a circular disk has a segment of another circle removed from its edge, so that what remains is a shape enclosed by two circular arcs of different diameters which intersect at two points .In astronomy, a crescent...
- symbol of Moon Heaven. - http://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/museums/ubhist/turk.html The National Museum of Mongolian History: the early Turk Empire and UyghursUyghur peopleThe Uyghur are a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. Today, Uyghurs live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China...
.
