The Kashgar Question: St. Petersburg, Tashkent, and Yakub Beg

This paper examines Imperial Russian policy vis-à-vis Yakub Beg’s insurgent regime in Kashgaria from 1865 to 1877.  The basic outlines of the story are well known:  In the early 1860’s Xinjiang’s restive Muslim population took advantage of the Qing Dynasty’s growing infirmity and rose up against its colonial overlords.  This “Dungan Rebellion” coincided with a major Russian push against Kokand, Khiva and Bukhara, independent Turkic statelets west of the Chinese province.  When an ambitious Kokanese, Yakub Beg, took control of the strategically important oasis town of Kashgar (Kashi) on Xinjiang’s western marches in 1865, tsarist generals became concerned that his success might stiffen resistance against their own campaign in Central Asia. 

My essay will focus on debates within the Russian administration about how to contain Yakub Beg.  Local military commanders in Tashkent and other frontier garrisons advocated an aggressive policy, which resulted in the occupation of the Ili Valley northeast of Kashgaria in 1871.  More cautious officials in the imperial capital, however, feared alienating their Chinese neighbour.  Further complicating matters were British efforts to establish Kashgaria as a buffer against the perceived tsarist threat to India. By examining relevant Russian and Uzbek archival sources, my basic objective will be to determine to what extent local generals drove St Petersburg’s relations with Kashgaria under Yakub Beg’s rule.

 The paper will shed light on Russian policy in Central Asia during the “Great Game,” a period of intense rivalry with Great Britain.  It will also yields insights into relations with China as well as tsarist fears of Islamic “fanaticism” among the Turkic population in the region.