Kimek Khanate

Khaganate

743–1220

Capital

Khagan-Kimek
Imekia

Political structure

Khaganate

History

•

Established

743

•

Disestablished

1220

Preceded by

Succeeded by

	Turkic Khaganate
	Oghuz Yabgu State

Mongol Empire

The Kimek Khanate also spelled Kimäk Khanate and Kimak Kaganate, was a prominent medieval Turkic state formed by the Kimek and Kipchak people in the area between the Ob and Irtysh rivers. From approximately 743 to 1050, it existed as the Kimak Kaganate, and as the Kimak Khanate until the Mongol conquest in the early 13th century.

Originally, the Kimaks lived along the Irtysh between the Altai and Tarbagatai mountain ranges. During the Göktürk Kaganate (552–743), the Chuüe, Chumi, Chumuhun, and Chuban, called Chuban or "Weak Huns" by Chinese historians, played a major role as part of the Shato Türk and Kimak tribal unions. Chinese historians located the Chuban west of the Tarbagatai and Altai mountains.

After the destruction of the Göktürk Kaganate, its heritage was carried on by many peoples, including Kipchaks, Kimek, Uyghurs, Bajanaks, Oguz, Karluks, Kyrgyz, Türgeshes, Khazars, Bulgars, and others.

From the 7th to the 12th centuries, Kimak and Kipchak culture was identical. The southern neighbors of Kimaks were Karluks, who preserved their independence for another 200 years. The Kimak Khakan's residence was in the city Imakia on the Irtysh.

In the middle of the 7th century the Kimaks lived near the Irtysh, north of the Altai, as part of the Western Turkic Khaganate. After the disintegration of the Western Türkic Kaganate in 743, a part of the Kimaks remained in its successor, the Uyghur Kaganate (740–840), and another part retained their independence. During that period a nucleus of the Kimak tribes was consolidated. The head of the Kimak confederation had the title "Shad Tutuk", i.e., "Prince Governing, or Ruling”. The Imak (Yemak, Kimak) tribe became the head of the union, and later of the Kimak Kaganate. In another transcription the tribal name sounds like "Kai", which in Mongolian means "snake". Possibly it was during the consolidation of the seven tribes appeared the expression, "A snake has seven heads".

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Wikipedia