Yakub Beg
Yakub Beg
(also Iakub-bek). Born 1820 in Pskent (Kokand Khanate); died 1877. Ruler of Dzetyshaar (literally, “Seven Cities”); Tadzhik by nationality.
In 1865, Yakub Beg was sent to Kashgar as a military aide to Haji-Buzruk, an ally of the Kokand khan who led the insurgent forces in the Kashgar region after the popular uprising against Manchu-Chinese domination in eastern Turkestan in 1864. Yakub Beg soon seized power in Kashgar and subsequently began conquering other cities in eastern Turkestan. In 1867 he proclaimed the establishment of the sovereign state of Dzetyshaar; he became the ruler of the state, which included almost the entire area of present-day Sinkiang. After Yakub Beg’s death, a struggle ensued among the pretenders to the throne. Taking advantage of the unstable internal situation in Dzetyshaar, the Chinese Ch’ing Empire destroyed the state in 1878.