The Umayyad surprise victory at Kharistan halted the Türgesh invasion of Khurasan and triggered the political collapse of Türgesh power in Central Asia.
Key Facts
- Date
- December 737
- Arab force size
- 7,000 men
- Türgesh force size (at battle)
- ~4,000 troops
- Location
- Near Kharistan, Juzjan, eastern Khurasan
- Suluk's fate
- Defeated; killed by inter-Türgesh rivals in early 738
- Prior Arab defeat
- Battle of the Baggage, 30 September 737
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the Umayyad defeat at the Battle of the Defile in 731 and the rebellion of al-Harith ibn Surayj in 734–736, Umayyad authority in Khurasan was gravely weakened. In 737, a failed campaign in Khuttal culminated in the Battle of the Baggage, where Asad ibn Abdallah al-Qasri lost much of his baggage train and withdrew to Balkh, leaving the Türgesh khagan Suluk free to invade Lower Tokharistan.
With the Arab army dispersed for winter, Suluk scattered his own forces to raid and forage. Asad exploited this opening, marching 7,000 men to surprise Suluk near Kharistan, where the Türgesh ruler had only about 4,000 troops. Suluk and his ally Ibn Surayj escaped, but the Türgesh camp was captured and the dispersed raiding bands were largely destroyed.
The victory restored Umayyad prestige in Khurasan and undermined Suluk's standing among his own people; he was killed in inter-Türgesh rivalries in early 738. Asad's successor, Nasr ibn Sayyar, exploited the subsequent collapse of Türgesh power, and by around 743 had recovered the Arab position in Transoxiana to roughly its pre-Türgesh extent.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Asad ibn Abdallah al-Qasri.
Side B
2 belligerents
Suluk (Türgesh Khagan), Al-Harith ibn Surayj.