Uyghur Khaganate - Aftermath

Aftermath

After the fall of the empire, two kingdoms, Yugor (848–1036) in Gansu, and the Kara-Khoja Kingdom (856–1369) near Turpan, were formed by the Uyghurs who fled (southwest and west respectively) from the Yenisei Kyrgyz. The Uyghurs converted to Buddhism in Kara-Khoja (Kocho), and according to Dīwānu l-Luġat al-Turk (Dictionary of Languages of the Turks) by Mahmud al-Kashgari, were "the strongest of the infidels". In 1209, The Kara-Khoja ruler Idiqut Barchuq declared his allegiance to Genghis Khan, and the Uyghurs became important civil servants in the later Mongol Empire, which adapted the Uyghur script as its official script.

According to Xin Tangshu, a third group went to seek refuge amongst the Karluks. The Karluks, together with other tribes such as the Chigils and Yagmas (thought to be associated with the Toquz Oghuz) later founded the Kara-Khanid Khanate (940-1212). Some Chinese historians therefore tend to associate the Karakhanids with the Uyghurs. Sultan Satuq Bughra Khan, believed to be a Yagma from Artush, converted to Islam and seized control of Kashgar.