Serindia
The Khaganate of Serindia (Chinese: 回域大汗国, Eastern Karluk: Altashahr Qaghanligi) is a landlocked nation in Central Asia, bordering Russia to the north, Turkestan to the west, Huaxia to the east, and Tibet to the south.
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History
The region of what is now Serindia was originally inhabited by Buddhist Indo-European Tocharians. Islam was introduced in the region after the conversion of the Kara-Khanid Khanate. The region was incorporated into the Chinese Empire when it was conquered by the Mongol leader Genghis Khan in the 13th century. By the 18th century, the Manchu Qing dynasty successfully asserted full control over the region, defeating the Dzungar Oirats and subduing the Taranchi.
Consolidation of the Khagan (1850s)
Qing control over the region was weakened in the wake of the Canton War (1850-1858). By 1851, Külüg I began consolidating his power in the Tarim Basin and in the Han-populated Dzungaria north of the Tianshan Mountains. He rebelled against the Qing and established a Turkic Khaganate.
The "Great Game" and the Treaty of London (1892)
All the while this was happening, the western powers were starting to encroach on Qing territory, with the Russians to the north and the British taking Tibet from the south. Külüg I established diplomatic ties with both nations and offered to be an ally against the Qing. The Russians and British saw the region as a good buffer zone between them. In the Treaty of London (1892), the British and Russians agreed to cease expansion into Central Asia and recognize the state of the Uighur Khagan. On the treaty, the state was called "Serindia," which combines the terms Seres (China) and India, referring to its geographical position. It is the namesake of the modern-day state in English sources.