Beshbalik

Beshbalik
Beshbalik
Mural of Turkic cavalry, Beshbalik, 10th c.
Beshbalik
Coordinates: 44°05′33″N 89°12′21″E / 44.092366°N 89.205909°E / 44.092366; 89.205909
CountryPeople's Republic of China
Autonomous regionXinjiang
Autonomous prefectureChangji Hui Autonomous Prefecture
Township-level divisions4 towns
4 townships
County seatJimsar Town (吉木萨尔镇)
Time zoneUTC+8 (China Standard)

Beshbalik (traditional Chinese: 別失八里; simplified Chinese: 别失八里) is an ancient Turkic archaeological site, now located in Jimsar County, Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China. The ancient city was initially called Beiting (Chinese: 北庭; pinyin: Běitíng) or Ting Prefecture (Chinese: 庭州; pinyin: Tíngzhōu), and was the headquarters of the Beiting Protectorate during the 8th century. It was later known as Beshbalik (Old Uyghur: beš balık “five cities”) and became one of the capitals of the Uyghur Khaganate and then the Kingdom of Qocho.