29 Facts About Yakub Beg

Muhammad Yakub Beg was the Kokandi ruler of Yettishar, a Turkic state he established during his invasion of Xinjiang from 1865 to 1877.

Yakub Beg was recognized as Emir of Yettishar by the Ottoman Empire and held the title of "Champion Father of the Faithful".

In English-language literature, the name Yakub Beg has been spelt as Yaqub Beg, Yakoob Beg or Ya'qub Beg.

Ya'qub is an Arabic analogue of Jacob, and Yakub Beg is a Turkic noble title.

Yakub Beg's forefathers had lived in the mountainous part of Karategin before moving to Dehbid, near Samarkand.

Yakub Beg's father, Pur Muhhammad, was born in Samarkand and completed his education in Khojent, later working as a qadi at Piskent.

Yakub Beg was born in the town of Pskente, in the Khanate of Kokand.

However, Yakub Beg quickly became bored and returned to Piskent where he obtained a minor job under the general Ghadai Bai.

Yakub Beg later worked under the governor of Khojent, Muhhammad Karim Khaska.

In 1847, Nar Muhhammad succeeded Kashka as governor of Tashkent, and Yakub Beg was appointed as Yakub Beg of Chinaz.

Yakub Beg was involved in the complex factional shifts of the Khanate of Kokand.

Yakub Beg was recalled back to Tashkent where he was promoted to the rank of military officer with the title of Baturbashi.

The Kyrgyz, or Kazakh Sadic Yakub Beg, entered Kashgar but were unable to take the citadel and were sent to Tashkent as a Khoja to become ruler.

Yakub Beg joined by Yakub Beg, left Kokand with 68 men, and crossed the border of China in January 1865.

Sadic Beg, defeated by Yakub Beg, was driven beyond the mountains.

Yakub Beg went southeast to Yarkand, the largest town in the region, and was driven out by an army from Kucha.

Yakub Beg next besieged the Chinese at Yangi Hissar for 40 days and massacred the garrison.

Sadic Yakub Beg reappeared, was defeated, and talked into becoming an ally.

Later in the year, Burzug Khan and Yakub Beg went to Yarkand to deal with a disturbance.

Burzug drew off to a separate camp, Yakub Beg defeated the Dungans, Burzug Khan fled to Kashgar and declared Yakub Beg a traitor.

Yakub Beg was confined for 18 months, exiled to Tibet, and later found his way to Kokand.

In little more than a year, Yakub Beg had become master of Kashgar, Yarkand, and Maralbashi, areas stretching roughly from the western end of the Tarim Basin to as far as the Yarkand River.

The Tarim Basin was conquered by Yakub Beg acting as a Khoqandi foreigner and not as a local.

Yakub Beg entered into relations and signed treaties with the Russian Empire and Great Britain, but failed in trying to get their support for his invasion.

Yakub Beg was given the title of "Athalik Ghazi, Champion Father of the Faithful" by the Emir of Bokhara in 1866.

Yakub Beg was disliked by his Turkic Muslim subjects, burdening them with heavy taxes and subjecting them to a harsh interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.

However, in a letter to the Qing authorities, Niyaz denied any involvement in the death of Yakub Beg, claiming that the Kashgarian ruler had committed suicide.

Yakub Beg makes an appearance in the second half of George Macdonald Fraser's novel Flashman at the Charge.

Bolum, which praised the Sharia implemented by Yakub Beg and cited him as an upholder of Jihad, attacking the Qing.