Kara-Khitans

Qara Khitai Western Liao
大遼 (Great Liao) Kara Khitan (喀喇契丹)
Sinicized Khitan empire in Central Asia
1124–1218
Qara Khitai in Asia, c. 1200.
Capital		Balasagun
Languages		Khitan Persian Middle Chinese(Administrative) Old Uyghur
Religion		Buddhism Church of the East Islam
Government		Monarchy
Khan
•	1124–1143	Dezong (Yelü Dashi)
•	1144–1150	Xiao Tabuyan (regent)
•	1150–1164	Renzong (Yelü Yilie)
•	1164–1178	Yelü Pusuwan (regent)
•	1178–1211	Yelü Zhilugu
•	1211–1218	Kuchlug
Historical era		Middle Ages
•	Fall of Liao dynasty	1125
•	Established	1124
•	Yelü captures Balasagun	1134
•	Kuchlug usurps power	1211
•	Kuchlug executed by Mongols	1218
•	All former territories fully absorbed into Mongol Empire	1220
Area
•	1210 est.	2,500,000 km2 (970,000 sq mi)
Preceded by Succeeded by Liao dynasty Kara-Khanid Khanate Mongol Empire
Today part of		China  Kazakhstan  Kyrgyzstan  Mongolia  Russia  Tajikistan  Uzbekistan

The Qara Khitai (alternatively spelled Kara Khitai; Mongolian: Хар Хятан; 1124–1218), also known as the Kara Khitan Khanate or Western Liao (traditional Chinese: 西遼; simplified Chinese: 西辽; pinyin: Xī Liáo), officially the Great Liao (traditional Chinese: 大遼; simplified Chinese: 大辽; pinyin: Dà Liáo), was a sinicized Khitan empire in Central Asia. The dynasty was founded by Yelü Dashi, who led the remnants of the Liao dynasty to Central Asia after fleeing from the Jurchen conquest of their homeland in the north and northeast of modern-day China. The empire was usurped by the Naimans under Kuchlug in 1211; traditional Chinese, Persian, and Arab sources considered the usurpation to be the end of the Qara Khitai rule. The empire was later conquered by the Mongol Empire in 1218.

Kara Khitan (Hala Qidan) was the name used by the Khitans to refer to themselves. The phrase is often translated as the Black Khitans in Turkish, but its original meaning is unclear today. In Mongolian, "Kara-Khitan" is rendered "Хар Хятан" (Khar Kidan). Since no direct records from the empire survive today, the only surviving historical records about the empire come from outside sources. The empire took on trappings of a Chinese state, so Chinese historians generally refer to the empire as the Western Liao dynasty, emphasizing its continuation from the Liao dynasty in north and northeast China. Black Khitans (黑契丹) has also been seen used in Chinese (see illustration of "A Qara Khitan man with horse" below). The Jurchens referred to the empire as Dashi or Dashi Linya (after its founder), to reduce any claims the empire may have had to the old territories of the Liao Dynasty. Muslim historians initially referred to the state simply as Khitay or Khitai; they may have adopted this form of "Khitan" via the Uyghurs of Kocho in whose language the final -n or -ń became -y. Only after the Mongol conquest did the state begin to be referred to in the Muslim world as the Kara-Khitai or Qara-Khitai.