The Kara-Khoja Kingdom, also called the Idiqut state ("Holy Wealth, Glory"), is an Uyghur buddhist state created during 856–866, and is based on the cities of Gaochang (winter capital) near Turpan, Beshbalik (summer capital), Kumul, and Kucha.
A Buddhist state, with state-sponsored Buddhism and Manichaeism, it can be considered the center of Uyghur culture.
The Uyghurs sponsor the construction of many of the temple caves in nearby Bezeklik.
The Uyghurs abandon the old alphabet and adopt the scripts of the local population which later come to be known as the Uyghur script.
The Idiquts (title of the Karakhoja rulers) rule independently until they become a vassal state of the Kara-Khitans.
In 1209, the Kara-Khoja ruler Idiqut Barchuq declares his allegiance to the Mongols under Genghis Khan; the kingdom will exist as a vassal state until 1335.
After they submit to the Mongols, the Uyghurs go into the service of the Mongol rulers as bureaucrats, providing the expertise that the nomads, initially illiterate.
