Kingdom of Khotan

Quick Facts: Who was Kingdom of Khotan?

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Kingdom of Khotan

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Ancient Buddhist Saka kingdom on the Silk Road, famed for jade and silk.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Kingdom of Khotan, also called the Kingdom of Yutian (Chinese: 于闐), was an ancient Buddhist Saka kingdom located on the branch of the Silk Road that ran along the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert in the Tarim Basin (modern-day Xinjiang, China). The ancient capital was originally sited to the west of modern-day Hotan at Yotkan. From the Han dynasty until at least the Tang dynasty it was known in Chinese as Yutian. This largely Buddhist kingdom existed for over a thousand years until it was conquered by the Muslim Kara-Khanid Khanate in 1006, during the Islamization and Turkicization of Xinjiang. Built on an oasis, Khotan's mulberry groves allowed the production and export of silk and carpets, in addition to the city's other major products such as its famous nephrite jade and pottery.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Despite being a significant city on the Silk Road as well as a notable source of jade for ancient China, Khotan itself is relatively small — the circumference of the ancient city of Khotan at Yōtkan was about 2.5 to 3.2 km (1.6 to 2.0 mi). Much of the archaeological evidence of the ancient city of Khotan however had been obliterated due to centuries of treasure hunting by local people. The inhabitants of Khotan spoke Khotanese, an Eastern Iranian language belonging to the Saka languages, and Gandhārī Prakrit, an Indo-Aryan language related to Sanskrit. There is debate as to how much Khotan's original inhabitants were ethnically and anthropologically Indo-Aryan and speakers of the Gandhārī language versus the Saka, an Indo-European people of Iranian branch from the Eurasian Steppe. From the 3rd century onwards the latter also had a visible linguistic influence on the Gandhārī language spoken at the royal court of Khotan.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The Khotanese Saka language was also recognized as an official court language by the 10th century and used by the Khotanese rulers for administrative documentation. The kingdom of Khotan was given various names and transcriptions, and the name as written by the locals also changed over time. In about the third century AD, the local people wrote Khotana in Kharoṣṭhī script, and Hvatäna in the Brahmi script some time later. From this came Hvamna and Hvam in their latest texts, where Hvam kṣīra or 'the land of Khotan' was the name given. Khotan became known to the west while the –t- was still unchanged, as is frequent in early New Persian.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1006: 1006 Milestone — This largely Buddhist kingdom existed for over a thousand years until it was conquered by the Muslim Kara-Khanid Khanate in 1006, during the Islamization and Turkicization of Xinjiang.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Kingdom of Khotan

True or False: “The primary source of Khotan's wealth was its strategic location controlling all major trade routes between India and China.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While strategically important, Khotan's main sources of wealth were the exportable goods like nephrite jade, silk, and carpets.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Kingdom of Khotan