Thread by @CarlZha

Kyrgyz living in Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan has
a storied past. I will make a thread abt their history navigating empires and nation-states

photo by Matthieu Paley

By 1600s, nomadic Kyrgyz were subjugated by Oirat Mongols who had growing increasingly powerful in the Altai region in their war against Khalkha Mongols in Monglia. Oirat power based in Ili valley of today's #Xinjiang

1 tribe of the Oirat Mongol confederation soon pushed out other Oirat tribes (Khoshot went to conquer Tibet, Torghut went to Volga river in Russia) to establish Dzungar Khanate in present day #Xinjiang/nearby regions. Dzungar Khan Galdan then drove Khalkha frm Outer Mongolia

Khalkha Mongols fled to Inner Mongolia seeking help frm Qing where Emperor Kangxi made nobles bend the knees at Dolon. Dzungar Khan Galdan chased Khalka Mongols into Inner Mongolia to clash w Qing army at Ulan Butong, north of Beijing. Qing-Dzungar war begins. Dzungars withdrew..

Qing would eventually conquer Dzungar Khanate aft 3 generations by 1758. frmer Dzungar Khanate territory became #Xinjiang

Qing dynasty #Xinjiang included much of Kyrgyz land. Russia expand into Central Asia in late 19th century, pressure more nomadic Kyrgyz fleeing to Qing territory. Qing encourage incoming Kyrgyz to settle in Pamirs to act as border guards agst Russian expansion.

But by 1892, Russia took most of Pamirs Plateau, leaving only Taghdumbash Pamir in China. In 1895, Russia and Britain agree to create Wakhan Corridor as a buffer zone btw their empires.

In 1920-30s,many Kyrgyz tribes fled Soviet collectivization into #Xinjiang, China. Among them was the tribe of Rahman Kul Khan. In 1949, as PLA marched into Xinjiang. Rahman Kul Khan took his tribe into Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan as borders closing on Chinese and Soviet side

After 1978 Saur Revolution brought Communists into power in Afghanistan, Rahman Kul Khan fled again w his tribe into Gilgit, Pakistan. Turkey made deal w Zia ul-Haq of Pakistan to airlift Pamir Kyrgyz w their flocks to Turkey where they are settled by Lake Van in Kurdish areas

But 1,000 nomadic Kyrgyz stayed in Wakhan Corridor, Afghanistan where they remain today. Wakhan has summer pasture but lowland winter pasture lay beyond the border which remained closed, no longer accessible to the nomads who used to roam across the region