Khanids

The Khanids, also known as the Kara-Khanids, were a Turkic Muslim dynasty of Karluk origin that ruled Transoxiana and surrounding regions from roughly the late 9th or 10th century until the early 13th century. The dynasty emerged in the wake of the Samanid decline and established a centralized Muslim state in what is now parts of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, southern Kazakhstan, and the Tarim Basin. Under the Khanids, Islam became the dominant religion in the region, and the state supported mosques, madrasas, and urban infrastructure, contributing to the broader Islamic and Persianate cultural flowering of Central Asia.

The Kara-Khanid state commonly operated with two interrelated branches, sometimes described as western and eastern spheres, and its power center moved among major cities such as Balasagun, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Kashgar. The rulers issued coins, maintained administrative offices, and cultivated a court culture that blended Turkic and Persian influences. The Khanids played a significant role in Silk Road trade, facilitating exchanges across Central Asia and into the broader Islamic world.

Politically, the Khanids contended with neighboring powers, including the Ghaznavids, Seljuks, and Khwarezmids, and their later history was marked by territorial fragmentation and shifting allegiances. The dynasty’s rule effectively ended with the Mongol invasions in the early 13th century, after which their territories were absorbed into larger Central Asian polities.

Legacy of the Khanids includes their major contribution to the Islamization of Transoxiana, the development of urban and scholarly life in Central Asia, and the enduring historical memory of a Turkic Muslim state that bridged nomadic origins with settled, cosmopolitan governance.