Abstract

The paper examines a history of the dynasty of Hakim-begs who were rulers of the Ili region of East Turkestan (Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China) for several centuries. The clan of the Ili Hakim-begs originated from the Hwaja clan, which established a theocratic rule in Kashgaria (East Turkestan) in second half of the XVII century. While early stages of the dynasty’s history is quite vague, clear lineage system of the Hwajas can be traced since the first years of the Qing conquest of Kashgaria (since 1759). This lineage was represented by the rulers of eastern oases of Turfan, Toqsun and Lukchun of Xinjiang. Their ancestor was Imin wang, who was bestowed the title of ‘wang’ by the Qing Emperor immediately after the conquest of Zhungaria and Kashgaria. For about 200 years, representatives of this clan gained positions of rulers in the Ili region, with the center in the city of Ghulja. After re-conquest of Xinjiang by the Qing forces, Xinjiang was turned into a province of the Qing empire (1884), and the beg’s position was liquidated, but the Ili Hakim-begs remained an authoritative and respectful clan. When the second East Turkistan Republic (ETR) was set up in three districts of Ili, Altay and Tarbaghatai in 1944, the revolutionary leaders invited the Ili Hakim-bek Giyassidin to the government of ETR. He was given a position of deputy Chair of the ETR government. After the Communist takeover (1949), some descendants of Hakim beg stayed in Xinjiang, while others migrated to Central Asia and today reside in Almaty and Bishkek, some of them migrated to Sweden. A high rank representative of the clan Hwaja Hakimov, b. 1936, passed away in Urumchi in 2023. The paper will discuss how Hakim-beg’s clan was used by the Qing/Chinese/ETR/PRC authorities in the governance and control of the Ili region.