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Beshbalik, Bishbalik 北庭( Travellers | Cities | Routes | Trade
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Bishbalik is called Beiting 北庭 in the Tang period. The Turkish name was Beš balïq, literally "five-towns"). It was the Uighur capital during the Yuan period, and is present-day Urumqi in Xinjiang. Emil Bretschneider says the following: "Pei-t’ing in Chinese means 'northern court.' In the seventh century (T’ang period) this was one of the residences of the T’u-küe (Turks). After the latter had submitted to the Chinese, Pei-t’ing in 702 became the seat of a Chinese governor‑general, tu-hu-fu. I cannot explain why the above text has tuan-fu. In 981, when Wang Yen te visited the Uigur country, Pei-t’ing belonged to the Uigurs. In the days of Chinghiz this place was called Bishbalik (i.e., Five cities), and was the capital of the Uigurs. Klaproth in his “Mém. rel. à l’Asie,” ii. 355 seqq., has pointed out that the site of ancient Bishbalik answers to the present Urumtsi.
- Emil Bretschneider, “Extract from the Si Yu Lu” (Ye-Lü Ch’u Ts’ai, 1219), in Mediaeval Researches: From Eastern Asiatic Sources, Fragments towards the knowledge of the Geography and History of Central and Western Asia from the 13th to the 17th century (London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner, 1888),
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