Silk Prince 回鹘可汗

Great warriors who delighted in bounties of silk and gold, the Uighurs were the ascendant power in the 7th-8th century. Through cunning politicking, and clever alliance with the Tang dynasty they were able to make themselves the undisputed hegemons of the steppes. The Uighurs consolidated their hold on the steppes of modern Mongolia by building great Tang- influenced walled cities such as Ordu-Baliq and Por-Bazhyn. A string of mudbrick military forts also entrenched their hold on nearly all the key roads of the northern steppes.

Here a young Uyghur Khagan (King) is depicted in bright silk riding coat and a distinctive Turkic belt, a flap of silk spills behind his royal crown.

5. 3 H