Sultan Satuq Bughra Khan
Encyclopedia
Satuq Boghra KhanSatuq Boghra Khan ( (also spelled Satuk; died 995) was a Kara-Khanid Khan
; in 934, he was one of the first Turks
to convert to Islam
.
According to 12th century historian Jamal Qarshi's History of Kashgar, Satuq was first taught about Islam by Nasr, a wealthy merchant from Bukhara
. Nasr befriended the King of Kashgar
, Satuq's uncle, and was granted special dispensation to build a mosque in the town of Artush
just outside of Kashgar. Here Satuq would often come to watch the caravan's arrive. When Satuq saw Nasr and other Muslims observing their daily prayers he became curious and was instructed by them in the Islamic religion. When the king discovered that his nephew had become a Muslim
he punished him by forcing him to build a temple. When he reached the age of 25 Satuq had gathered enough supporters from Kashgar and the Ferghana valley to over throw his uncle and establish Islam in Kashgar.
Satuq Boghra Khan died in 955 and was buried in a mausoleum that can still be visited in Artush today. Over the next several centuries many Uyghurs in other oases such as Hami
and Turpan followed, though conversion was not forced, and some (particularly the Yugur
s) retained their existing religious beliefs. The Uyghurs ruled an independent kingdom, mixing Muslim and Buddhist
populations, that stood until 1759, when the Manchu Chinese
invaded and destroyed it.
Khan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...
; in 934, he was one of the first Turks
Turkic peoples
The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
to convert to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
.
According to 12th century historian Jamal Qarshi's History of Kashgar, Satuq was first taught about Islam by Nasr, a wealthy merchant from Bukhara
Bukhara
Bukhara , from the Soghdian βuxārak , is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400 . The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time...
. Nasr befriended the King of Kashgar
Kashgar
Kashgar or Kashi is an oasis city with approximately 350,000 residents in the western part of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Kashgar is the administrative centre of Kashgar Prefecture which has an area of 162,000 km² and a population of approximately...
, Satuq's uncle, and was granted special dispensation to build a mosque in the town of Artush
Artux
Artux, Atush or Atushi is a county-level city in Xinjiang. The area is 15,509 km² and the total population is 200,000 . Artux is the seat of Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture....
just outside of Kashgar. Here Satuq would often come to watch the caravan's arrive. When Satuq saw Nasr and other Muslims observing their daily prayers he became curious and was instructed by them in the Islamic religion. When the king discovered that his nephew had become a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
he punished him by forcing him to build a temple. When he reached the age of 25 Satuq had gathered enough supporters from Kashgar and the Ferghana valley to over throw his uncle and establish Islam in Kashgar.
Satuq Boghra Khan died in 955 and was buried in a mausoleum that can still be visited in Artush today. Over the next several centuries many Uyghurs in other oases such as Hami
Hami Prefecture
Kumul Prefecture, also known as Hami Prefecture is located in eastern Xinjiang, China. It has an area of 140,749 km² and 492,096 inhabitants .- History :...
and Turpan followed, though conversion was not forced, and some (particularly the Yugur
Yugur
The Yugurs ,or Yellow Uyghurs as they are traditionally known,are one of China's 56 officially recognized nationalities, consisting of 13,719 persons according to the 2000 census. The Yugur live primarily in Sunan Yugur Autonomous County in Gānsù Province. They are Buddhists, unlike the Xinjiang...
s) retained their existing religious beliefs. The Uyghurs ruled an independent kingdom, mixing Muslim and Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
populations, that stood until 1759, when the Manchu Chinese
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
invaded and destroyed it.