16 
HISTORY OF THE KHOJAS OF EASTERN TURKISTAN. 
began, very shortly (about 1673), to quarrel with his relations, and his 
first campaigns—not always successful—were against sections of his own, 
or closely connected, Qalmaq tribes. Thus in 1677, he conquered the 
Koko-Nor country, with the result that large numbers of the Qalmaq and 
Tibetan tribesmen inhabiting the region fled eastward into China and 
placed themselves under the protection of the Manchu Emperor, who took 
up their cause, and thereby sowed the first seeds of the long series of 
wars that he had afterwards to wage against the Zunghars. 1 
It was just at this time, also, that an opportunity vas afforded to 
Galdan of extending his influence over the cities of Eastern Turkistan, 
where, as we have seen above, the Xhojas were already divided into two 
rival factions, according to their family extraction, though a descendant 
of the former Mo gh ul Khans was still the nominal King of at least the 
western part of the country. This Ismail Khan, whose capital was at 
Yarqand was an adherent of the Black Mountain Khojas, while the leader 
of the opposing faction was Khwaja Hidayatu-llah, more usually known by 
his title of “ Hazrat Afaq.” The White party being worsted in the struggle, 
Afaq fled to Kashmir and thence, it is said (though perhaps doubtfully, as 
we shall see ), made his way to the Grand Lama, at Lhassa, to whom 
he appealed for aid against his enemies. The Lama, w T e are told, gave 
him a letter to Galdan, requesting the latter to render Afaq the assistance 
he required for re-establishing his authority in Kashghar and Yarqand. 
Galdan seized the occasion, subdued the western cities of Eastern Turkistan 
in 1678, set up Afaq as a feudatory, and exacted a yearly sum from him 
as tribute. At the same time he took Ismail Khan prisoner and, carrying 
him off to Ill, settled him in the town of Kulja. 2 He also conquered the 
eastern districts of Turf an and Hami immediately afterwards, and pro¬ 
ceeded to lend his assistance to certain tribes of Western Mongolia who 
were then disputing with some of them neighbours. This was in 1679, 
and the complications into which his intervention in Mongolia led him, 
together with certain family feuds, kept him actively employed for many 
years, during which time the Qalmaqs seem scarcely to have interfered 
with Eastern Turkistan or the Khojas. 
1 See Howorth, I, p., 623. 
2 It will be seen in tbe Epitome, that these good offices of Galdan’s were repaid 
shortly afterwards, by tbe treacherous Khoja allying himself, with a younger brother 
of Ismail, named Muhammad-Amin and marching an expedition into Ill. The date of 
this expedition is nowhere given, but it seems to have been shortly before the death of 
Afaq which occurred in 1105 H. (1693-4 A. I).), and was therefore probably at a time 
when Galdan was engaged in war with the Mongols or the Chinese. The expedition 
was successful however, and a large number of Qalmaqs were carried back as 
prisoners to Kashghar. 
