At a glance
- Era
- The Mongol and Post-Mongol Era
- Region
- Persia & Central Asia
- Review
- Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
Overview
Almaligh was the capital of a Muslim kingdom in the upper Ili valley. 1
Foundation and rulers
The kingdom was founded in the 7th/13th century by Uzar (in Juwayni) or Buzar (in Jamal Karshi), who was said to have been a brigand and horse-thief before. According to Jamal, he took the title Toghril Khan as ruler. 1
The city
Almaligh is first mentioned as the capital of this kingdom and later as a great and wealthy commercial city. Its site is known mainly from Chinese sources; it lay south of Lake Sayram and the Talki pass, north of the Ili, probably north-west of modern Kuldja. Its king had dealings with Chinggis Khan, whose hunting-ground lay near Almaligh; the king was surprised and killed while hunting by Kuchluk. 2
Sources
- Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edition (Leiden: Brill, 1954–2008), 13 volumes , vol. 1 p. 440
- Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edition (Leiden: Brill, 1954–2008), 13 volumes , vol. 1 p. 441
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Almaligh (capital of a Muslim kingdom in the upper Ili valley)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/place/almaligh/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-25.