Key Facts
- Duration
- 1864 – 1877
- Peak area
- ~1,400,000 km²
- Ruler
- Yakub Beg (Emir)
- Ottoman recognition
- 1873, as vassal state
- Seven cities
- Kashgar, Khotan, Yarkand, Yengisar, Aksu, Kucha, Korla
- End date
- 18 December 1877 (Qing reconquest)
Imperial Zenith Metrics
Territorial Scale Comparison
Peak area vs modern sovereign states
Historical Trajectory
Phase I: Rise
During the Dungan Revolt against Qing rule in the 1860s, Yakub Beg, a military commander from the Khanate of Kokand, exploited the upheaval to seize control of Kashgar and surrounding territories. Through a combination of military campaigns and political manoeuvring, he consolidated power across seven major cities of the Tarim Basin, establishing an independent Turkic Islamic monarchy by 1865.
Phase II: Zenith
At its height, Yettishar controlled a vast territory across the Tarim Basin, encompassing the seven cities of Kashgar, Khotan, Yarkand, Yengisar, Aksu, Kucha, and Korla. In 1873, the Ottoman Empire formally recognised Yakub Beg as emir and Yettishar as a vassal state, flying the Ottoman flag over Kashgar. The state also attracted diplomatic attention from Britain and Russia amid Great Game rivalry.
Phase III: Decline
Following the suppression of the broader Dungan Revolt, Qing forces under Zuo Zongtang launched a major reconquest of Xinjiang. Yakub Beg died in May 1877 under unclear circumstances, depriving the state of its central authority. Internal fragmentation followed, and on 18 December 1877 Qing armies entered Kashgar, extinguishing the state and reasserting Chinese imperial control over the region.
Notable Imperial Reigns
Selected rulers mapping the empire’s trajectory