Afaqi Khoja revolts

Āfāqī Khoja revolts

Qing victory over the Āfāqīs in Kashgar, 1828
Date1759-1866[2]
Location
Altishahr (Xinjiang)
Result Qing victory
Belligerents
Qing dynasty
Qara Taghliqs
(Ishāqis Khojas)
Hunza Princely State[1]
Kokand Khanate
Aq Taghliqs
(Āfāqī Khojas)
Commanders and leaders
Qianlong Emperor
Jiaqing Emperor
Daoguang Emperor
Xianfeng Emperor
Tongzhi Emperor
Changling[3]
Mir Ghazanfur[4]
Jāhangīr Khoja
Yusuf Khoja
Katta Tore
Wālī Khān
Kichik Khan
Tawakkul Tore
Buzurg Khan
Suranchi Biy
Strength
Eight Banners
Manchu bannermen
Green Standard Army
Han Chinese militia
Hui Chinese militia
Ishāqis Turkic followers
Hunza Burusho soldiers
Āfāqī Turkic followers
Dolan people[5]

In 1759, the Qing dynasty of China defeated the Dzungar Khanate and completed the conquest of Dzungaria. Concurrent with this conquest, the Qing occupied the Altishahr region in modern southern Xinjiang, which had been settled by Muslims who followed the political and religious leadership of Afaq Khoja.[6][7]

After the Qing conquest, the Chinese began to incorporate Altishahr and the Tarim Basin into their empire. The territory along with Dzungaria came to be known as Xinjiang. Although the followers of Afaq Khoja known as the Āfāqī Khojas resisted Qing rule, their rebellion was put down and the khojas were removed from power.[8]

Map of Altishahr (Xinjiang) relative to China
Map of Altishahr (Xinjiang) relative to China

Beginning at that time and lasting for approximately one hundred years, the Āfāqī Khojas waged numerous military campaigns in an effort to retake Altishahr from the Qing.

  1. ^ Biddulph (1880), p. 28.
  2. ^ Levi (2017), pp. 135–147.
  3. ^ Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period.
  4. ^ Woodman (1969), p. 90f.
  5. ^ Bellér-Hann (2008), p. 21f.
  6. ^ Dupuy (1993), pp. 769 and 869.
  7. ^ Levi (2017), p. 16.
  8. ^ Levi (2017), pp. 37–38.