# The Khanate of Kokand (1709–1876)

> A Fergana Valley state that controlled eastern Uzbekistan, parts of Kyrgyzstan and southern Kazakhstan until Russian conquest in 1876. The Khudayar Khan Palace is its architectural legacy.

The **Khanate of Kokand** was the youngest and easternmost of Uzbekistan's three khanates, founded by the Uzbek Ming dynasty in 1709 and extinguished by Russian General Skobelev in 1876.

Territory at peak (c. 1850):
- The entire Fergana Valley.
- Northern Tajikistan (Khujand).
- Much of modern Kyrgyzstan.
- Southern Kazakhstan (Shymkent, Turkestan).
- Tashkent (controlled 1809–1865).

Key events:
- **1809**: Kokand conquers Tashkent.
- **1842**: Madali Khan briefly takes Bukhara, making Kokand the dominant power in Central Asia.
- **1865**: Russia takes Tashkent from Kokand.
- **1873**: Khudayar Khan builds his palace in Kokand — the most lavish 19th-century palace in Central Asia.
- **1875**: Popular revolt by Nasriddin Bek deposes Khudayar Khan.
- **1876**: Russia annexes the khanate outright. Fergana becomes a Russian oblast.

Legacy:
- **Khudayar Khan Palace** (1863–1873) — 27 surviving rooms of vivid Fergana tilework.
- Silk and pottery traditions of Margilan, Rishton and Kokand flourished under khanate patronage.
- The Kokand literary court produced Uzbek-language poets and chroniclers.

The brief **Kokand Autonomy** of 1918 was a failed attempt by local leaders to restore independence; it lasted 60 days before the Red Army dissolved it.

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Keywords: Kokand, khanate, Fergana, Ming dynasty, Russia
Updated: 2026-08-15
Category: history
URL: https://uzbguidedtours.com/kb/kb-history-kokand-khanate