How a Tibetan religious leader’s intervention triggered the collapse of the Yarkent Khanate
In 1678, a desperate Sufi leader sought help from the Dalai Lama to reclaim his power in the Tarim Basin. The resulting alliance with the Dzungar Khanate unleashed 120,000 cavalry, permanently dismantling the last Chagatai successor state and reshaping the political landscape of Central Asia for generations to come.
By the mid-17th century, the Yarkent Khanate in Altishahr faced mounting pressure from the rising Oirat power. While the Khanate had previously repelled Oirat incursions under Abdullah Khan, the situation shifted when internal religious factions—the Naqshbandi Sufi Khojas—began to dominate the political sphere. The struggle between the Afaqi and Ishaqi factions created a power vacuum that invited external intervention.
The turning point arrived in 1678 when Ismail Khan expelled the Afaqi leader, Afaq Khoja. Seeking restoration, Afaq Khoja appealed to the 5th Dalai Lama, who leveraged his influence by writing to the Dzungar leader, Galdan Boshugtu. Galdan, seizing the opportunity to expand his reach, captured Hami and Turpan by 1679 before launching a massive invasion of the Tarim Basin with 120,000 cavalry in 1680. This campaign effectively subjugated the region, installing a puppet ruler and marking the beginning of the end for the Chagatayid dynasty.
The aftermath was marked by instability and shifting loyalties. Although Galdan initially installed Abdu'l Rashid Khan II as a vassal, the region remained volatile, with riots and rebellions forcing frequent changes in leadership. By 1693, Muhammad Amin attempted to reclaim autonomy, even launching a counter-attack on the Dzungars, but he was eventually overthrown by the persistent Afaq Khoja. The chaos continued until 1705, when the Dzungars finally ousted local Kyrgyz forces and installed Mirza Alim Shah Beg, a non-Chagatayid ruler, thereby extinguishing the Chagatai lineage forever.
This conquest was not merely a territorial shift but a profound realignment of regional power. The Dzungars’ intervention, fueled by religious factionalism and the strategic interests of the Dalai Lama, fundamentally altered the governance of Altishahr. As local begs began defecting to the Qing dynasty by 1696, the Dzungar dominance set the stage for the complex geopolitical struggles that would define the future of Xinjiang.
Source: Dzungar conquest of Altishahr
