Tong Yabghu Khagan

Khagan of the Western Turkic Khaganate at its height, who received Xuanzang near Suyab.

Life

Royal camp at Suyab

Tong Yabghu Khagan took the throne around 618 CE. With his courts at Qianquan (Thousand Springs) and Suyab (near present-day Tokmok, Kyrgyzstan), he conquered the Tiele tribes and expanded south to Tokharistan and Jibin, bringing the Western Turkic Khaganate to its zenith.

Zenith

He maintained friendly relations with the Tang dynasty, sending envoys to Chang'an several times; he also allied with the Byzantine emperor Heraclius against Persia and in 627 CE sent troops to join the siege of Tbilisi. Around 628 CE, when Xuanzang passed through Suyab on his journey west, he received him with great ceremony and sent men to escort him south.

Received Xuanzang

Around 628 CE he was killed by his uncle Mohedu; the Western Turks soon fell into civil war and were later conquered by the Tang dynasty.

Legacy

The reign of Tong Yabghu Khagan was the height of the Western Turkic Khaganate. The Great Tang Records on the Western Regions preserves Xuanzang's vivid description of him: dressed in a green silk robe, with a silk band more than ten feet long tied around his head.

Did you know? Xuanzang wrote that his tent was covered in brocade and guarded by several hundred attendants: "Though a ruler who lives in a felt tent, he is truly dignified and splendid."

Key dates

• 618Ascended the throne (approx.)
• 627Sent troops to attack Persia jointly with Byzantium
• 628Received Xuanzang; killed (approx.)