Khitans

The Khitans were a Eurasian nomadic people of Manchuria and the Mongolian plateau, traditionally associated with the Khitan confederation. They spoke the Khitan language, now extinct, and developed two writing systems, the large script and the small script, used mainly for inscriptions and official records. The Khitans established a political power in the region that would give rise to the Liao Dynasty and a distinctive administrative culture that blended Khitan and Chinese practices.

In 907, under the Yelü clan, the Khitans founded the Liao Dynasty, ruling a large territory in northern China, parts of the Mongolian steppes, and Manchuria. The Liao maintained a dual administration that combined Khitan and Han Chinese institutions, and they engaged in persistent military and diplomatic interaction with the Song Dynasty to the south. Their capital was Shangjing, and at times the Khitans controlled the strategically important Sixteen Prefectures. The dynasty endured for about two centuries, adapting to changing boundaries and pressures from neighboring powers.

The Liao fell to the Jurchen Jin in 1125, and many Khitans fled westward to establish the Kara Khitai (Western Liao) in Central Asia under Yelü Dashi. The Western Liao persisted into the early 13th century, integrating with local populations and Buddhist communities before eventually succumbing to the Mongol expansion. The Khitans left a lasting cultural imprint through their script, material culture, and the cross-cultural interactions that shaped the history of Inner Asia and northern China. The Khitan language remains only partially understood, contributing to the historical mystery surrounding this people.