National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

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fair idea of the resistance at first opposed to the establishment .there of the new P. religion. We may now return from this digression to review the part played by this family in the politics of the country adjoining it on the west before proceeding to follow up the course of events that again bring us to the theatre of action at Kashghar.

On the death of Bughra Khaan at Bukhara, the fugitive Abul Kasim returned, V.B.

and was re-established in the government by Subuktakin, the ruler of Ghazni, who then passed westward to the conquest of Nishabor and Herat. Meanwhile Iylik Khan, the son of Bughra Khàn, from Kàshghar repeatedly invaded Bukhara against Abûl Kasim, until be was finally defeated by Subuktakin, and peace restored. Abizl,

Kasim died 387 H. = 997 A.D. and was succeeded by his son, Abul Haarith Mansur.

He was soon blinded by a rival noble in favour of his brother, Abdul Malik who, too, was a mere youth. He was for a while supported against the hostility of Mahmud, the son of Subuktakin, by Begtakin and Faik, but was ultimately driven to seek refuge with Iylik Khan at Kashghar, who then himself marched to Bukhara, and threw Abdul Malik and the rest of his family into prison, 389 H. = 999 A.D.

Abdùl Malik died in prison, but his brother, Muntazir, a third son of Abul Kasim, effected his escape, and attempted the recovery of Bukhara,. Iylik Khan, however, whose empire now extended from the borders of China to the Caspian, drove him from the country into Khurasa.n. From there he wandered into Sistan, where he was killed by some petty robbers, Rabi Awwal 395 H. = 1004 A.D.

With the death of Muntazir ended the Samani dynasty, which had, from 260 H. = 873 A.D., during a period of one hundred and thirty years, ruled over all Central Asia, and founded the Islam polity there on the orthodox Sunni model.

The Uighur, who under their Chief Iylik Khan, rose to power during the declining years of the Samani rule, did not long enjoy their career of prosperity. Iylik Khan had his capital at Kashghar, and only held Bukhara during the last years of

the Samani rule. Jand, a fertile country, eighty farsakk="league" from Bukhara, was seized by Saljuk, a partizan of the deposed Muntazir, who now became independent. He was the son of Tomak, and had been expelled from the northern steppe with Subash, the General .of the Prince Begu. With their following and new adherents they settled in the vicinity of Bukhara. Here the grandsons of Saljuk, Toghrul and Chakar, warred with Iylik Khan, and after his death, with the Bughra Khan family of Kashghar.

Alitakin, the ruler of Samarcand, in alliance with Iylik Khan, quarrelled and

warred with Kadir Khan, the son of Bughra Khan. On this Mahmud marched to the latter's aid, and, driving out Alitakin, protected Kadir from Saljuk and other enemies. In 524 H. = 1129 A.D. Sultan Sanjar seized Samarcand, and carried its Governor, Muhammad bin Suleman, prisoner to Khurasan, but afterwards reinstated him. Subsequently in 534 H. = 1139 A.D. Khwahrizm Shah captured Bukhara., N. destroyed its fort, and killed All Khalicat, the Governor of Sultan Sanjar. And again, following this, the next year Samarcand revolted under Ahmad, and Sultan Sanjar, subduing it, appointed Nasr, the son of Ahmad, to its government; but this led to V.B. more war, and the decline of the Sanjar rule. For at this time the government of the Uighur had passed into the hands of Gorkhan.

Gorkhan = Khana.n Khan, Lord of Lords, was the title of the King of the Kara R.S.

Khitay, a people who came originally from Khita, the northern provinces of the Chinese empire. They were at first a party of eighty emigrant families, who, on leaving their own country, found a refuge amongst the border Kirghiz. They soon, however, disagreed with these nomads, and moving on gradually made their way to Ayl or Ila, where they built a city. Here they were joined by a number of Turk wanderers, and their number soon exceeded forty thousand families. On the death of their first Gorkhan, his widow, Goy{nik, assumed the government, but, owing to her profligacy, was soon deposed by her late husband's brother, who then succeeded to the government by the murder of a rival brother. And he, on his death, was succeeded by his son as Gorkhan.