Yusuf b.
Muhammad has ruled Kashgar for about twenty years as the gurkhan's vassal. He will rise against the gurkhan with Khotan in 1204, see his son taken as a hostage, and die in Rajab 601 (February-March 1205).
Who he is
- Name
- Abu'l-Muzaffar Yusuf b. Muhammad
- Title
- Khan of Kashgar (title not pinned; Tamghach Khan in some modern lists)
- Since
- About 1180
- Born
- Not pinned
- Family
- Son of Muhammad b. Ibrahim; father of Abu'l-Fath Muhammad (hostage at Balasagun after 1204, killed 1210-11).
- Confidence
- medium
TDV 'Karahanlilar'; Iranica 'Ilak-Khanids'.
Overlord
The gurkhan
What it holds
- Kashgar and its oasis
- Yarkand: not pinned
How it was acquired
Inherited from his father.
Allies and rivals
The khan of Khotan (later his ally in revolt); the gurkhan.
How things stand that morning
Ruling Kashgar in peace as a vassal.
Wealth
The oasis and the caravan trade.
Military
His retinue and the walls of Kashgar. No figures.
Threats
- The gurkhan's demands
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- 1204Revolts with Khotan; crushed; his son taken hostage.Depends on: Discontent with the gurkhan. Stopped by: A lighter hand from Balasagun.
- Rajab 601 (February-March 1205)Dies and is buried at Kashgar.Depends on: Natural death. Stopped by: Nothing.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Name and death date from the TDV; reign start from modern lists.
On the map: Only the core oasis is drawn.
Primary sources for Khanate of Kashgar
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- The History of the World Conqueror, Ata-Malik Juvayni (1252 to 1260). Written for the Mongols but with a long retrospective on the powers they destroyed. Read online
- History of the Liao, chapter 30, on the Western Liao, Toqto'a (脫脫) and the Yuan history office (1343 to 1344). The only Chinese official notice of the Qara Khitai, a few pages at the end of juan 30. Read online
- History of the World Conqueror: the Qara Khitai (Gur Khans) and the Uyghurs of Beshbaliq, Ala al-Din Ata-Malik Juvayni (begun about 1252 to 1253, ends with 1260). Juvayni's chapters on the Uyghur kingdom (its origin legend, Beshbaliq and Qocho, and the idiqut Barchuq's murder of the Qara Khitai resident before his submission to Chinggis Khan in 1209) and on the Gur Khans of the Qara Khitai are the fullest Muslim account of the Tarim and Zhetysu around 1200: the gurkhan Zhilugu's court at Balasagun, his tax collectors in the oasis towns and in Samarkand, his relations with the Khwarazmshah Tekish and then Muhammad, and the arrival of the Naiman prince Kuchlug in 1208. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.